ღ There's a Legend in Us All ღ
by Rosalite
Summary: It turns out Ever After is a lost realm of Magix. After saving Wonderland from its evil curse, the Royals and Rebels assist the Winx Club, Specialists, and Paladins in defending the magic dimension. Together, they overcome their fears and learn more about themselves as well as each other.
1. Introduction

**Hey guys! Funny thing about this story: it's a revision of a story I deleted a few days ago. I didn't like the way the story turned out; I sounded like a typical 12 year old who didn't know what she was doing or how to write. THUS, I decided to delete my old story and start over. Sorry for those who got confused or couldn't find the original. I really don't care for first chapters, because I have to introduce EVERYTHING. It gets annoying and tedious really fast. But anyways, I hope you guys like this version WAY better. Enjoy and don't forget to review! I want to know how you guys like my revision.**

 **For those who haven't watched Ever After High, the series if full of wordplay. Since the same play on words doesn't exist in Winx Club, I toned it down a bit.**

xXx

 **ღ** The Alfea College for Fairies **ღ**

"Okay, we'll try that one more time. Take it from the top!" Aisha snapped her fingers and the large stereo in the corner began to loudly play another song.

"Awww. Again?" whined Stella, plopping down on her bottom and taking off one of her platform heels. "My feet are getting sore!" She rubbed the sole of her foot and winced.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have worn heels," suggested Bloom with a giggle, offering Stella her hand.

"You speak the impossible." The funny thing about it was that Stella wasn't even joking. As the fashionista of the Winx Club, she would do _anything_ for a good pair of heels. Literally. "I mean, what's even the point of us training? We have wings, remember," mentioned Stella, moving some of her blond hair out of her face. "We aren't like them." She pointed up at Aisha's levitating obstacle course where the Paladins and Specialists were training.

The Specialists were male warriors from the Red Fountain College, a main magic college on the capitol planet of Magix and a prestigious educational institution that specialized its students in weapon-wielding and dragon riding. The Paladins were similar to the Specialists, except they were students of Lynphea College, the main magic school on the floral planet of Lynphea. Regardless of what schools they attended, they were still the Winx Club's allies in the battle against all evil in the magic universe.

"It doesn't hurt to have a little physical strength," pointed out Aisha, stretching out her legs. "Exercise never hurts anybody." Out of the Winx Club, Aisha was the go getter. The tomboy and stylish athlete who wasn't afraid to break a sweat.

"Yeah, but we've been exercising for _hours_ ," pouted Stella, "let's take a break."

"Hours? Stella, it's only been about thirty minutes," stated Musa, pointing at her wrist watch. "And besides, how do you think the guys feel? They've been at it for two hours at least." She looked up at the levitating Morphix course where the guys were now having a time trial. They had already been at least an hour into their workout by the time the Winx were finally dismissed from their classes. But as warriors, they were most likely used to such extended physical training.

"Yeah, but they're used to it," insisted Stella, putting her hands on her hips. "We're fairies! We don't need to throw punches or do back flips." She had a small point. As guardian fairies of the magic universe, the girls fought more with their magic instead of their physical abilities.

"You never know what could happen, Stella," mentioned Tecna, looking up from her technical device. "If it wasn't for Bloom, we would still be magic less right now. Logically speaking, something like that could happen again and without our magic, we'd be completely powerless." Tecna was referring to the time when the Winx Club visited the planet of Lynphea to visit the Specialists. However, the trip was ruined when the Trix, a trio of witches and the Winx Club's mortal enemies, attacked Lynphea College. The Winx girls attempted to fight back but were stripped of all their powers when they came in contact with the Legendarium, a powerful tome in the possession of the Trix and their newest ally Selina. Fortunately, Bloom, the fairy of the Dragon's Flame, didn't lose her powers since her fire could never be extinguished. Thus, she shared her flame with her friends and they were able to regain their magic and even obtain a new fairy transformation due to their good deeds and actions.

"Let's be real about this. What are the chances of us losing our powers again?" Stella put her shoe back on and stood up. " _Zero_."

"Still. Now that the Trix have taken over Cloud Tower and posses the Legendarium, anything is possible," affirmed Bloom, frowning slightly. It wasn't long since the Trix took over the Cloud Tower School of Witchcraft, a boarding school for witches also on the planet Magix. "And it doesn't help that they somehow made the school invisible _and_ got it to fly."

"I've actually been trying to detect Cloud Tower with the new program I installed on my gadget," reported Tecna, waving around her phone. As the fairy of technology, the Winx relied on Tecna to solve any technological issues whether magical, supernatural, or ordinary. "It detects strong magical energies all over the magic universe. Unfortunately, it hasn't identified Cloud Tower just yet."

Bloom gave Tecna an encouraging shoulder squeeze. "Don't stress over it. We'll put a stop to the Trix no matter what." That was why Bloom was the leader of the Winx; she was fearless, encouraging, and always knew how to make the other girls feel better.

"And thanks to Professor Daphne's endless research, we are also a step closer to locking the Legendarium for good," added Ms. Faragonda, walking into the gym with her hands clasped behind her back. She was the headmistress of the Alfea College for Fairies, the magic school the Winx Club attended. Like Cloud Tower and Red Fountain, Alfea was located on the planet Magix, the capitol planet of the entire magic universe.

Daphne, who had come in with the headmistress, smiled and gave a tiny wave. She was the older sister of Bloom, a history teacher at Alfea, the Crowned Princess of Domino, and the Nymph of Domino and Sirenix. "I haven't found a lot of information about the Legendarium yet, but according to what I've read so far, it can be locked with a magic stronger than its own," announced Daphne.

"There's other magic stronger than the Legendarium?" questioned Flora, the fairy of nature, looking puzzled. "I mean, besides the Dragon's Flame."

"Yeah. I don't mean to be rude or anything, but it took away our powers. There can't be anything stronger than that," insisted Stella, twirling a lock of her blond hair around her finger.

"Not that we know of," corrected Daphne with a patient smile, "the magic universe has a lot of secrets."

Ms. Faragonda slightly frowned at the last part but then quickly regained her indulgent smile. "I'll leave you all to your work then," she announced before swiftly exiting the gym.

Bloom watched her leave and frowned. "Is it just me or does Ms. Faragonda seem troubled lately?" she asked worriedly, biting her lip.

"Oh, calm down. You know how old people are," joked Stella as the pixies fluttered into the room, "she's probably just thinking about her past or something."

"Hey! You guys ready to come down yet?" called up Aisha to the Specialists and Paladins.

Prince Sky, Bloom's boyfriend and the leader of the Specialists, jumped over to another levitating platform and waved down at Aisha. "We'll be down in a minute," he called down.

"Yeah. Brandon here has yet to beat my all-time record," boasted Nex, one of the two Paladins, folding his arms across his chest arrogantly.

"Is that a challenge?" questioned Brandon, putting on his game face.

"Come on, Brandon, honey! Show everyone just how amazingly strong you are," called Stella to her boyfriend with a giggle.

"Yeah, honey. Why don't you show us what you can do," taunted Nex, imitating Stella and slapping the Specialist on the back.

"Easy, Nex. Let's not get hasty," advised Thoren, the other Paladin and Sky's cousin, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Instead of getting mad at Nex, Brandon smiled determinedly. "Alright. I'll complete the course _and_ beat your time," he assured Nex.

This was Bloom's chance. "I'll be right back," promised she promised, starting for the exit, "I gotta check on something." She slipped out of the gym and into the crowded corridor. It made Bloom smile to see all the radiate, excited faces as she strolled through the crowds of girls. She remembered when she was one of them, excited to grow and learn in magic and friendship.

"Headmistress? May I come in?" called Bloom softly, knocking on the door of the headmistress's office.

Bloom heard Ms. Faragonda sigh sadly on the other side. "Yes, Bloom. Come in."

The door creaked as Bloom stepped inside. "Is everything all right, Ms. Faragonda? You seem a little…sad," said Bloom, looking at the headmistress with worry. Ms. Faragonda was facing the window, her back turned to Bloom.

"Hm?" The headmistress shook out of her daze and turned around to face Bloom. That's when Bloom noticed the picture Faragonda held in her hand. "What were you saying, Bloom?"

"You've really been distracted lately. I just wanted to know if everything was okay."

Ms. Faragonda sighed again and sat down at her desk. She set the picture on her workstation's surface and stared longingly at it. "Yes, everything is fine. It's just….I've been thinking about some things lately."

"Things? Like what?"

"Old memories, really. Things that should remain in the past." Ms. Faragonda looked up at Bloom and smiled kindly. "You shouldn't be wasting your time with me. Go out and enjoy yourself with your sister and friends. I'll be fine." Though she insisted she was all right, Bloom could see the sadness in her eyes and sense the emptiness in her heart—a power she possessed through the power of the Dragon's Flame. Things were not fine.

"You know, headmistress. Sometimes it helps to talk about what's bothering you," suggested Bloom thoughtfully, taking two steps towards the headmistress's desk.

"I appreciate your concern, but there's really nothing to talk about," insisted Ms. Faragonda, completely absorbed by the photo in front of her. Bloom knew for a fact something was depressing her, but she decided to leave it alone.

"Oh. Okay. Well, if you ever want or need to talk about something, I'm here," she informed, starting for the door. She couldn't comfort someone who didn't want to be comforted. Bloom glanced over her shoulder and took one last glance at the headmistress, who was now tracing her finger around the picture frame. Bloom frowned worriedly at the elderly lady before leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

xXx

 **ღ** The Floating Cloud Tower School of Witchcraft **ღ**

"You know, Selina. That book of yours isn't all it's cracked up to be," snorted Stormy, landing beside the blond witch. "You claim it's powerful, but you have _yet_ to destroy the Winx with it." She put her hands on her hips and snorted again.

"Easy now, sister. Let's not get worked up," advised Darcy, moving some of her brown hair out of her face and folding her arms across her chest. "I'm sure Selina here has an explanation for her failure."

"Yes, Selina. If that book is so powerful, then why hasn't it annihilated the Winx Club and their pathetic little allies?" Icy floated down from the ceiling, her lavender hair flowing behind her.

Selina, who was now self-conscious, pressed the Legendarium against her chest and shifted uncomfortably. The young witch quickly came up with a good lie to tell the Trix. "It must because I'm not yet strong enough in the dark arts. As its protector, its magic works through me." She held her breath, inwardly praying the trio of witches would believe her fib.

"Ugh. There's always a catch," sneered Stormy in disgust, looking away. Her frizzy storm cloud hair was tied up on the top of her head while her lightning-bolt shaped bangs hung loose, truly giving her the appearance of the Witch of Storms.

"No need to get impatient, Stormy," said Icy coolly, "all we have to do is teach Selina here a few tricks, and the Legendarium's attacks will be stronger. Right?" Icy looked coldly at Selina, her pale blue eyes sending a chill down Selina's spine. Selina managed to nod. "Good. _Then_ we'll destroy those pathetic fairies once and for all!" Her two sisters nodded and the three began to laugh wickedly.

Though Selina was new to Cloud Tower, she knew all about the Trix. They were the most wicked trio of dark sorceresses in the entire magic dimension, and also the mortal enemies of the Winx Club. Because of their strong abilities, they had just recently taken over Cloud Tower and managed to cloak the school and give it the ability of flight. And according to their boasting, that was just a small fraction of what they could do with their magic.

"Speaking of pathetic fairies, what's our next move?" asked Stormy ambitiously, looking at Icy.

"Yeah. What magic school are we gonna conquer next?" added Darcy, showing the same amount of eagerness as her younger sister. The Trix had an unquenchable thirst for power and had decided to take a step further into their quest for total domination by taking over the other magic schools in the dimension.

"Hmm. That's a good question, sisters," smiled Icy wickedly, "why don't we let the map decide?" She snapped her fingers and a scroll levitated off the nearby bookshelf. It floated over to the desk and unrolled itself across the hard surface. "Now, let's see. Who to take over next," mused Icy aloud as she and her sisters crowded around the desk.

"So many choices," smirked Darcy, "how will we ever pick just one?"

"How about Alfea? I've been _dying_ to add its power to our own," suggested Darcy determinedly, holding up a clenched fist. "And while we're there, we can give the Winx a little run for their money."

"As much as I'd love to confront Bloom again, Alfea comes later on the list," responded Icy, "we need to have the power of _all_ the other schools when we do finally face the Winx at their precious little school. Then we'll truly be unstoppable."

Seeing her chance to slip away, Selina quietly escaped the abandoned classroom, leaving the trio of witches to plan their next move. The young witch noiselessly relocated into another empty classroom and set the heavy tome of the Legendarium on the front desk. The Legendarium was a very special book; it possessed a vast collection of legends, stories, and monsters that could be summoned to life by the book's keeper.

She traced the cover of the Legendarium with her finger and then opened it to a particular page towards the middle of the book. The page contained an ink image of a wizard with black marks around his eyes with triangular black marks on its edges, a crooked pointy nose, black goatee, and an outfit that consisted of a thigh-length armor-like tunic with large hanging sleeves and baggy trousers tucked inside his boots. "Acheron. I'm here," announced Selina.

"Good, Selina," hissed wizard on the page, glowing with purple magic. The wizard was no other than Acheron, the creator of the Legendarium. "What of your mission?"

Selina took a deep breath. "The Trix promised to teach me the dark arts as soon as they conquer another magic school," she replied, "the power they're collecting from all around Magix could free you from your prison." That was Selina's mission; to free Acheron from his prison inside the Legendarium. In return, he promised her great powers. But in order to free him, Selina would need some powerful magic. _Really_ powerful magic.

"Good," repeated Acheron in the same low tone, "I am counting on you, Selina. Do _not_ fail me."

Selina bowed her head. "Yes, Acheron." She had to free Acheron from his prison no matter what. It was simply her destiny.

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High in the land of Ever After, a land of whose location cannot yet be revealed onto the reader **ღ**

"Where in Ever After is everyone?" demanded Lizzie Hearts, the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, angrily, throwing her coquet mallet across the field. Out of Ever After High's entire coquet team, only three members showed up for practice. This, of course, upset Lizzie since she took the game more seriously than anyone else.

"Gone, it seems," replied a floating disembodied head, flashing into visibility beside Lizzie. The head had sleek blue eyes with cat-like pupils and curly lavender twintails.

"Gone where?" asked Lizzie, raising an eyebrow. "And where's the rest of your body? Aren't you embarrassed to walk around as a head alone?"

The disembodied head smiled widely and the rest of her body expanded into visibility, revealing Kitty Cheshire, the Cheshire Cat's tricky daughter. "Gone everywhere but here," responded Kitty with a snicker. Lizzie sighed loudly and plopped down on the perfectly trimmed grass. Coquet was one of the most popular games back in Wonderland and it hurt her to know no one else took it seriously. _Wonderland._ Just thinking about her homeland made Lizzie frown sadly. She wished she could go back, but due to the Evil Queen's poisoning of the wonderlandiful world, all portals leading to Wonderland had to be sealed so the Evil Queen's dark magic couldn't flow into the other lands.

"As to answer your last question, not really. It's fun walking around as just a head; it freaks the others out," said Kitty amusedly. Like her mother, Kitty enjoyed playing pranks and creating chaos. Though she was tricky, Lizzie considered Kitty to be one of her best friends for ever. Being from Wonderland also, Kitty could relate to Lizzie's homesickness.

"You really state the obvious, Narrator," snorted Kitty randomly, sitting down beside Lizzie.

Lizzie raised a questioning eyebrow. Kitty must've been talking to "the voice" again. She insisted there was a disembodied voice narrating their lives that only she could hear. Lizzie usually nodded or ignored Kitty's comments about "the voice": even as a mad Wonderlandian, she had to admit Kitty was talking crazy.

"I'm not talking crazy! The voice's there!" insisted Kitty, looking up to the sky as if she was talking to someone up there.

Lizzie half-heartedly nodded and plucked up a clomp of grass. She watched quietly as the tips of the grass swayed in the passing breeze. "So, what are we supposed to do now?" asked Lizzie uncertainly. It was obvious coquet practice wasn't happening.

"Keep supposing, I suppose," replied Kitty. She and Lizzie glanced at each other and laughed.

"Well, I guess we have to find something else to do," said Lizzie with a sniffle.

"How about we prank Headmaster Grimm? I'm always up for a good trick," suggested Kitty hopefully.

Lizzie shook her head. "I'm not in the mood for tricks," she said sadly, letting go of the grass and watching them float away in the breeze. Out of all the Wonderlandians that had managed to escape Wonderland right before the portals were sealed, Lizzie had to be the most homesick. As the daughter of the Queen of Hearts, she was destined to one day rule her beautiful homeland. Wonderland was her responsibility. Her future.

"How about we visit Maddie and her dad at the haberdashery? If that place isn't wonderlandiful, I don't know what is." Lizzie allowed the corners of her mouth to lift into a tiny smile. The Mad Hatter's Haberdashery and Tea Shoppe would be the perfect place for Lizzie to find comfort. It was the only place that truly reminded Lizzie of home…

xXx

"Well, welcome Lizzie and Kitty! What can I do for you two this hat-tastic day?" greeted Madeline Hatter happily as the two girls entered the tea shoppe, the doorbell chiming above their heads. Lizzie immediately began to feel at ease as the smell of earl grey welcomed her. She always felt this way whenever she visited the Mad Hatter's Haberdashery and Tea Shoppe in the village of Book End. Maybe it was because the shop was Wonderland-themed; the checkered walls changed colors every three point five seconds, tables and chairs were arranged on the walls and ceilings, defying the laws of physics, random objects with wings materialized into thin air and flapped around the shoppe, staircases that led nowhere spawned here and there, and so forth.

"Hey, Lizzie! Kitty! Come sit with us," called Raven Queen with a wave from her and Darling Charming's table by the counter. Seeing Raven made Lizzie frown. It was _her_ mother who poisoned Wonderland in the first place. Was it okay to socialize with the daughter of the same person who-

"Well, don't just stand there like a sleepy lamppost!" giggled Maddie, pushing Lizzie towards the girls' table. "You're just in time for teatime madness!"

"Theme madness? What's that?" asked Lizzie as she sat down in a chair beside Darling's. "I've never heard of it."

"That's because we only spellebrate in Wonderland, silly," giggled Maddie, her wild blue hair bouncing. "It happens every day during teatime. Honestly, it's my favorite time of the day. Well, besides second teatime. And third teatime."

Lizzie glanced up at one the many wall clocks that hung on the wall. Five minutes until teatime at three o' clock. "So, how was your day?" asked Darling Charming politely, moving some of her it's-so-blond-it's-white hair out of her face.

"Absolutely terrible!" exclaimed Lizzie, pounding her fist onto the table. In response, the cups rattled and the table growled.

A face appeared on the surface of the table and lowly hissed, "Hey, I'm tryin' to sleep here!"

"My mistake," said Lizzie apologetically, calming down a bit. Back in Wonderland, mostly _all_ of the furniture spoke.

"Calm down, Lizzie," advised Darling softly, reaching over and squeezing her friend's shoulder. "Tell us what's the matter."

Lizzie sighed and looked down at the table. "It's Wonderland," she said sadly as Maddie placed a cup of steaming tea in front of her. "I miss it ever so much."

"I wonder whose fault that is," said Kitty sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Raven.

"Hey! My mom poisoned Wonderland, not me," said Raven defensively, "it isn't my fault no one can ever go back!" Lizzie, who had been sipping her tea when Raven said this, choked. It sounded even more terrible when it came out of someone else's mouth. Raven glanced at Lizzie and immediately realized her error. "I'm sorry, Lizzie. I didn't mean to sound so harsh," she apologized, stirring her tea slowly. "It's just…I don't like how people blame me for my mother's actions." Though Raven was the child of the most feared villain of them all, she didn't want to be evil or carry out the legacy of her mother.

"It must be hard being so far away from home," acknowledged Darling, looking sympathetically at Lizzie and then Kitty. "I'm sorry things-" She was interrupted when all fifty-something clocks in the shop chimed loudly in unison. They were all so loud, the entire shop shook.

"Yay! It's teatime!" cheered Maddie as the customers covered their ears, attempting to block out the loud ringing.

"Maddie, turn it off!" cried out Raven over the dinging, "it's too loud!"

"That's the point!" exclaimed Maddie. Just then, the ringing stopped and dozens of teacups with wings materialized out of thin air.

"Hey! What's going-" Raven stopped short as the teacups suddenly began to drench earl grey on everyone's heads.

"Hey, Maddie! What's going on?" asked Darling, covering her head with her arms. "Why are they pouring tea on us?"

Maddie didn't answer until the teacups and kettles unexplainably vanished. "Well, you see, back in Wonderland, something totally random always happened during teatime," she explained, her wild hair dripping onto the floor. "The teacup thing was something totally different. Usually, the ceilings drip chocolate or something."

Lizzie couldn't help but giggle. Though it wasn't exactly Wonderland, it was nice to have a little reminder of home.

xXx

"AHH! Run everyone! It's Raven Queen!" screeched a passerby, stopping in her tracks and pointing at Raven. Startled, Raven looked up from her Mirrorphone at the girl.

"She is EVIL!" shrieked another villager, looking fearfully at Raven.

"Run while you still can!" added another frightened bystander before scurrying away.

Raven sighed and dropped her Mirrorphone into her purse as everyone ran away in separate directions, doing their best to get away from her. She couldn't even spend a few hours in the Village of Book End without scaring somebody. That was the effect Raven had on people; as the daughter of the Evil Queen, everyone immediately assumed Raven was evil, even though she wasn't.

Raven had made it clear earlier in the school year that she didn't want to relive her pre-determined storybook destiny and become the next Evil Queen, but her decision hadn't changed anyone's opinion about her. The girl sighed again and started down the cobblestone road that lead back to Ever After High. Ever After High was a special boarding school for the teenage sons and daughters of fairytale characters. There, they attended classes that would help them prepare for their destines; to follow in their parents' fairytale footsteps and keep their stories alive through the generations.

However, since Raven didn't like her pre-determined destiny as the next Evil Queen, she refused to pledge her loyalty to her destiny during Legacy Day, the event where the second-year students swore to relive their parents' fairytales. In spite on her choice, people _still_ considered Raven to be evil, if not eviler after Legacy Day.

Raven was crossing the footbridge when she overheard two passing girls whispering about her. "Hey, isn't that the Evil Queen's daughter?" whispered one of the girls to her friend as they strolled by Raven.

"Yeah. The same girl who didn't sign the Storybook of Legends," her friend whispered back, "can you believe how selfish that is? Now because of her, the Snow White tale might not even happen if she doesn't go through with her destiny as the next Evil Queen. Doesn't she realize she's _still_ being evil?" Raven frowned and quickly hurried off the bridge, the girls' cold glares sending a chill down her spine. Was that how everyone saw her?

Instead of returning to Ever After High, Raven navigated down another path. There were lots of other students back at school who felt the same way as those two girls, and Raven really didn't want to be bothered with them.

The girl traveled down the dirt road until it led her deep into the Enchanted Forest. Whenever she needed some alone time, the forest served as a good place of refuge. "Ugh. I just wish everyone could accept me as who I am," she said to herself in frustration as she leaned on the well in the middle of the clearing. Though, Raven didn't really blame them for their reaction to her rebellious choice. For generations, the people of Ever After relived their fairytales so they wouldn't cease to exist. It was simply the tradition of the land. A tradition Raven couldn't bring herself to follow. Besides, all that "if you don't sign the Storybook of Legends and pledge to follow your destiny, you and your story will disappear forever" stuff wasn't exactly true; Raven had refused to sign and was still alive and breathing.

Raven was turning around to leave when she noticed something shiny in the grass. "Hey, what's that?" she asked curiously, steering off-path. She bent down and picked up the shiny silver object from under one of the trees. "Hey. A wishing coin," she said, holding up the large, circular coin. "Cool." Story had it that if one wished hard enough upon a wishing coin, their wish would come true.

Well, it was time to put that theory to the test. Raven went back over to the well and pressed the coin against her heart. She thought about what she wanted to wish for a few seconds and then allowed her wish to escape her lips. "I wish…I wish that there was a way for people to see the good inside me. For a group of friends that can respect my choices and see me for who I am, what I'm 'destined; to become." And with those words, Raven let go of the coin and watched it drop down into deep, dark wishing well.

For some odd reason, she felt comfort in watching the coin disappear into the blackness of the well.

Maybe her wish would come true.

Someday.


	2. The Jabberwocky Released

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter is late; I was working on another fanfiction. I also watched part of Winx Club season 7. Eh, it isn't bad, but season 6 was WAY better. I also watched the whole Ever After High Dragon Games special. TALK ABOUT AWESOME! I can't wait to make my own version of it. Especially since the Specialists and Paladins are taught dragon riding in their schools. They'd make a perfect addition to Snow's and the Evil Queen's teams, don't cha think? And what about the Trix? It wouldn't be a party without them. I'm gonna add them into the Dragons Games plot as well.**

 **I know, this is weird and everything, but when I write chapters, I HAVE to listen to Winx Club music. Especially from the old songs and games. It just reminds me of the times when Winx Club used to be good. While I wrote this chapter, I listened to the instrumentals of the "Let Your Wings Shine" game. It just inspires me for some reason.**

 **Anyways, here's another chapter. Hope you guys like it! Don't forget to review. I can't remember exactly who said it, but someone on this site said reviews are food for the authors, and that's so true. Reviews are what keep me running and in business, so don't forget to leave some feedback.**

 **xXx**

* * *

 **ღ** Alfea – The Archives **ღ**

"Hm. This one looks promising," mused Daphne as a thick tome levitated off the bookshelf and over to her. She took the book into her hands and blew the thick layer of dust off its leather cover. " _A Historical Record of Powerful Magics_ ," she read aloud. A hint of hope sparked in her heart. This was exactly what she needed. She opened the book to the first page. Since the tome was ancient, its tan pages were crinkled and slightly torn. The professor turned to the next page and immediately frowned. The odd text on the paper was tiny and consisted of weird symbols and characters. This was going to be difficult.

"Hey, Daphne!" called Bloom's voice. Daphne looked up to see her young sister and Thoren waving down at her from the balcony of one of the library's elevated levels.

"Hey guys," returned Daphne with a tiny wave as the two walked down the stairs and joined her by her heavy oak desk. "Why aren't you outside with the others?"

"We came to check on you. You've been here all morning," replied Thoren.

"And I think I've made some progress," nodded Daphne, handing Bloom _A History Record of Powerful Magics_. "I just found this book and I think it can help us find a magic strong enough to lock the Legendarium. The only problem is-"

"It's written in an ancient text," finished Bloom, opening the book to a page.

"One I don't understand," admitted Daphne, crossing her arms and frowning. "But according to my knowledge of old writing techniques, this text was most likely written by the Earth Ancestral Fairies and Guardians of older times."

"Maybe one of the other professors can decipher the writing," suggested Thoren. "I know some of the teachers back at the Lynphea College can."

"Look. There's also a map," spoke up Bloom. Daphne and Thoren appeared at her sides as Bloom turned the page. A large map extended across both of the old pages, giving a faded visual of an unfamiliar land. According to the map, whatever land was shown was full of mountains, castles, lakes, beanstalks, villages, and even kingdoms atop clouds. It all looked like one big…fairytale. Bloom turned the page again, revealing yet another map. The land shown on the next pages looked similar to the one on the previous pages, except it was full of mushroom groves, waterfalls, and odd thickets. In the center of the map was a unique castle whose structure was based off cards and chess pieces.

"I wonder where these places are," wondered aloud Daphne thoughtfully, "I've studied lots of different places in Magix, but I haven't seen this one before."

"Maybe the headmistress knows," suggested Bloom, snapping her fingers. "She's been all around Magix and back. She's bound to know where this place is, right?"

"Right." Daphne nodded. "Who knows? These places could be pieces of a bigger puzzle. Ones that could help us defeat the Trix and the Legendarium for good."

 **xXx**

"I do indeed know of this land." The headmistress smiled down at the thick tome on her desk. "Though, it has been quite a while since I last visited." She smiled wider at the memories. _A Historical Record of Powerful Magics_ was opened to the pages of the card castle and groves.

"Headmistress, where is this place?" asked Bloom, playing with her long braid. "And how come it's unfamiliar? The Winx and I have been ll over the magic universe, and we've never been here."

Ms. Faragonda then frowned. "That's because it's been off-limits to Magix for some time now."

"Off limits?" repeated Daphne, "but why? Did something happen?"

"Something very evil," nodded Faragonda, resting her elbows on the desk and entwining her fingers thoughtfully. "And because of this very evil act, the land has been sealed off from the rest of Magix."

"Sounds serious. What happened?" asked Thoren, folding his arms across his chest.

"To begin with, this land is none other but Wonderland," began Faragonda, her smile returning. "The most magical realm in all of Magix. Its wild magic is… _was_ so strong, it flowed all throughout the universe and fueled it with its unique energy."

"Wonderland?" Bloom brightened at the name. "That's a fictional world in Earth fairytales! I remember reading about it in _Alice in Wonderland_. Dad and I used to read that story every night."

"Indeed. But it's every bit real," corrected Faragonda, "and it's a magical realm of Earth. Back when I was younger and a student here at Alfea, we used to visit Wonderland. I remember the fun we had exploring Time Thicket and the all the odd groves."

"But then someone came along and spoiled everything," said Thoren.

"Yes. An evil sorceress with unspeakable power tried to conquer Wonderland." Ms. Faragonda narrowed her eyes. "She managed to _poison_ Wonderland with her dark magic. She would've done the same to the other realms and worlds of Magix if she hadn't been stopped. Unfortunately, Wonderland couldn't be saved. Because of the dark sorceress's magic, the world had to be sealed so the sorceress's dark magic couldn't flow to the other worlds and realms."

"And because it had to be sealed off, Wonderland was soon forgotten by Magix," inferred Daphne thoughtfully.

"Correct. This map is one of the only ones left," nodded Faragonda, rising from her seat. She sighed and walked up to her window, her back turned to the three. "Every now and then I feel guilty about it all. I could've done something to save Wonderland. If I had, its magic and people wouldn't be sealed off from us."

"You can't blame yourself, headmistress. It wasn't your fault," argued Daphne, "you didn't tell the evil sorceress to poison the world. It was simply beyond your control. There was nothing you could do."

Bloom nodded and grinned. "Yes, but there _is_ something _we can_ do."

"I know that look," smiled Daphne, putting her hands on her hips. "You're up to something and I think I know what. You're somehow planning on bringing Wonderland back to Magix."

"You know me all too well, big sis," winked Bloom.

"How are we going to do that? I thought Wonderland was sealed off from the rest of Magix. There's no way we can get there," reminded Thoren, "and even if we do, what would be the plan?"

"In order for Wonderland's portals to open again, we'll need to eliminate its curse once and for all," responded Bloom, "and after we do that, Wonderland and its citizens can once again come apart of Magix."

"But what about stopping the Trix and locking the Legendarium?" pointed out Faragonda, looking at the young people. "You know you'll have to put that mission on hold if you do decide to save Wonderland."

Bloom, Daphne, and Thoren exchanged looks and nodded. "Saving a world is more important," said Thoren, stepping forward. "And I know I'm speaking for all of us on this one."

"It's the right thing to do," agreed Daphne, "I know a thing or two about curses. Since the dark magic is trapped in Wonderland with nowhere else to go, it'll soon start corrupting the world as a result. All life in Wonderland could be greatly affected and in a negative way."

"That and the people of Wonderland need to be reminded that they're a part of the magic dimension," added Bloom, "all this time, I thought Wonderland was nothing but a fictional world. But it turns out it's something way more. A _real_ place with _real_ people and cultures."

"I admire your determination, but what you wish to achieve is nearly impossible." Faragonda clasped her hands behind her back. "It is impossible to get to Wonderland. With all its portals closed, there isn't a way to get there. And even if there _was_ a portal you could use, you'd risk Wonderland's dark magic flowing through it. And let's say you _do_ manage to get to Wonderland. How do you plan on reversing the curse?"

"We'll need magic that's even stronger than the curse. Bloom's Dragon's Flame is already pretty powerful," replied Daphne thoughtfully, "not to forget the other Winx have a spark of Bloom's Flame as well as their own magic abilities."

" _And_ as the Nymph of Domino and Sirenix, you have some pretty strong magic, too," credited Bloom, looking at her older sister.

"We'll have to talk this over with the others," said Thoren, "then we'll come up with a plan."

"I'll research Wonderland," volunteered Daphne, "if it's home to the most wild, powerful magic, I'm sure I can find something that'll lock the Legendarium for good. That and I'll also be learning about the realm and its history. I just might find a way to break its curse."

"I can see your minds are set." Faragonda settled back down into her chair. "I can only wish you the best of luck."

"Something tells me we're gonna need it." Thoren smiled confidently. "C'mon. Let's go find the others."

Bloom was following Daphne and Thoren out of the door when she remembered something. "Oh, headmistress! We forgot to ask you." She hurried back to Faragonda's desk and used her magic to turn the page of _A Historical Record of Powerful Magics._ "We also found another map. We meant to ask if you knew about it." She turned the page to the map of the fairytale-like world.

Faragonda stared at the pages, her face becoming expressionless. After a few moments, the older lady shook out of her daze. "No, I've never been to this land before. I don't recognize it," she said a little too quickly, standing up from her seat. "Now, if you'd excuse me, Bloom, I have quite a lot of work that needs to be done."

"Yes, of course. Sorry for bothering you." Bloom quickly gathered up the tome and hurried out of the headmistress's office. She recalled Faragonda's expression when Bloom showed her the map. Bloom had seen a spark of sadness. Longingness. Faragonda was definitely keeping something away from Bloom and the others. But what?

* * *

 **ღ** Cloud Tower – The Abandoned Classroom **ღ**

"Hear that sisters? Looks like the Winx made a change of plans," said Icy as the image of Bloom, Daphne, and Thoren inside their crystal ball faded. The magical ball was the Trix's main weapon against the Winx. It allowed the witches to spy on their enemies so they could plan their assaults ahead of time.

"While they're focused on saving what's-it's-called land, we'll be free to bring havoc to all of Magix," pointed out Stormy excitedly, "nothing will be able to stop us!"

"And when the Winx do come back from their little mission, it'll be too late. Magix will already be ours," added Darcy, sitting down atop the desk.

"We have to plan this just right," stated Icy lowly, "we'll have to be swift and smart. The Winx have proven to be quite…tricky in the past. They'll change their plans in a second."

"That's when the Legendarium will come in," spoke up Selina, stepping out of the shadows. "If they decide to change things up, then so will we."

"Please. That book of yours hasn't done anything effective," spat Stormy, "the last thing we need is-"

"Wait a minute, Stormy. Say, Selina, does that book contain monsters and legends from Wonderland?" asked Icy with interest, "I recall Bloom saying Wonderland is mentioned in Earth stories, and the Legendarium is full of those."

"I'm glad you asked. It just so happens that one of the most powerful beasts in the Legendarium is of Wonderland origins," informed Selina with a wicked smile.

"That sounds promising," said Darcy, putting her hands on her hips. "Let's try it out."

"Yeah, Selina. Show us this 'powerful' beast," snorted Stormy, rolling her eyes. Selina nodded and enlarged the Legendarium after it detached itself from her belt. "You'd better not fail us this time," warned Stormy.

"Trust me. This beast knows how to finish the job," assured Selina, flipping through the pages of the Legendarium. "Ah. Here we go." She stopped on a page and smiled. "Let me tell you about a powerful monster that once roamed the world of Wonderland," she began, reading from the text. "Like its home, this beast possess wild magic and powers unlike any other monster inside the Legendarium. It can wreak so much destruction, it was sealed away in a prison of glass so it wouldn't destroy time itself. But with the Legendarium, I can summon it from containment and use it bring total destruction." Lightning began to flash and thunder started to boom as Selina held up an arm. "Great beast of Wonderland-"

* * *

 **ღ** From Inside the Uni Carn **ღ**

It began to tingle. Something was happening.

 _Tink._

 _Tink._

 _Tink._

It could feel the glass around it cracking. Was freedom finally presenting itself? The beast growled questioningly as a voice leaked through the glass's cracks and into its ears.

"Great beast of Wonderland, I free you from your prison and summon you to obey my every command," rang the voice, "break free from your prison and come to me!"

An image of a girl with wild blond hair flashed in the beast's mind. She was freeing it. Freedom was here at last. The Uni Carn began to vibrate and the beast could feel itself pouring out of its cracks. Relieved to finally be active, the beast transformed into a puff of dark smoke as its prison shattered completely.

It was time to once again wreak chaos.

* * *

Selina smiled proudly as a large cloud of smoke formed right before their eyes. "Behold!" she yelled, "the Jabberwocky, the great terror of Wonderland!" Just as she said this, the wisp of smoke began to rise and grow bigger, wider, and greater until it filed the classroom. The smoke gusted away, revealing beneath it an enormous winged beast. Its body was scaled like a dragon's, but it's long, clawed hands and feet were ragged with fur. Its front teeth were like some demon rabbit and its tail as long as a hundred snake. At the mention of its name, the beast let out a deafening noise that sounded like a hiss, roar, growl and shriek all in one.

The sight of it was so hideous, even Stormy shuddered. "Wow. I have to admit, Selina. I'm very impressed," smiled Icy wickedly as the Jabberwocky landed with a quaking thump. "I'm sure this thing is as powerful as it is terrifying."

"I wouldn't judge it just yet," snorted Stormy stubbornly, "we still don't know what this… _thing_ can do. For all we know, that roar is probably its only ability."

The Jabberwocky snarled at Stormy. It took a few steps back and raised its pointy tail. Still staring at Stormy, it brung its tail down, making a huge hole in the floor. It hissed warningly at Stormy and breathed black fire towards her. The witch of storms squeaked and flew out of the way. The black fire scorched the wall right where Stormy had been standing.

"Wow! That _is_ impressive!" Icy smiled mischievously and rubbed the Jabberwocky behind the ears. "He'll definitely come in handy."

"How about we see how the Jabberwocky is against the Winx?" suggested Darcy, "they won't stand a chance against something like this. Not even Bloom and her Dragon's Flame."

"We've gotten more powerful since our last faceoff with the Winx and their allies," pointed out Stormy, lightning magic forming around her clenched fists. "With our combined magic _and_ the Jabberwocky, we can't lose!"

"Then it's settled. Gather up some of our top students and prepare for battle," announced Icy, perching herself on the Jabberwocky's back. "Today, we'll show the pathetic fairies at Alfea what real power is."

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High – The Dorms **ღ**

 _Twenty._

 _Twenty one._

 _Twenty two._

 _Twenty three._

Darling Charming could feel her heart thumping in her chest as she finished up the last of her curl ups. Afterwards, she straightened herself up and pulled back her it's-so-blond-it's-white hair into a ponytail. Now it was time for the real stuff. After a quick water break, she began her daily pushups.

 _One._

 _Two._

 _Three._

 _Four._

This was her daily routine. While she was supposed to be doing her waiting thronework for Damsel in Distressing class, she usually worked out. She found sitting around doing nothing for a long period of time to be pointless. What was she learning and achieving from sitting around on her rump for an hour? That was a pain of being a "damsel". Because she was destined to one day be saved by a prince in shining armor, Darling was taught silly damsel stuff at school like crying out for help, fainting innocently on a couches, and waiting patiently for nothing in particular. In Darling's opinion, it was all baloney.

But she couldn't admit this openly. As the daughter of King Charming, she was considered to be the most helpless of damsels. But Darling didn't want to be a damsel. She _wasn't_ a damsel. She wanted to be a hero. She got a kick out of wielding a sword and helping others. It felt right, although it was considered wrong to the rest of society.

Thus, Darling had to keep her training and heroic acts a secret. For the sake of her family's reputation.

Once the pushups were done, Darling got out her weights from their hiding place in the closet. After another water break, she began to lift them. She usually didn't do the weights that long. If she did, she would start to develop muscles and she didn't need that. There would be too many questions.

"Oh, yeah. We can meet there later. It'll be fun," said Rosabella Beauty's voice from outside in the hallway. Shoot. Darling's roommate was coming. The princess quickly put her weights in their usual place in her closet and dried away the sweat on her arms and legs with a towel. Afterwards, she tossed her towel into her closet also and hoped onto her bed just as the doorknob started to turn.

"Oh. Hey Rosabella," greeted Darling casually as her roomie entered their dorm room and closed it behind her.

"Hey Darling. What are you up to?" Rosabella adjusted her glasses and set her stack of clipboards on her desk. The clipboards were most likely for all the petitions Rosabella had started. As the daughter of Beauty and the Beast, Rosabella strongly believed in the rights of beasts and animals. Thus, she often raised awareness for the cause by starting protests, petitions, and fundraisers.

"You know. Just finishing up the rest of my Damsel-in-Distressing thronework," said Darling, hoping she didn't look sweaty.

"Oh. Honestly, I don't see how you can stand to sit around and do nothing," said Rosabella, stepping into her closet. "But then again, I guess you're used to that kind of stuff."

That was a difference between Rosabella and Darling. While Darling's parents had raised her to be upright, dutiful, committed to her destiny, and a dainty princess, Rosabella was raised to be her own person. To stand up for what she believed in and work to achieve her goals. And while Darling had to wear painful shoes, uncomfortable dresses, and sport outrageously girly and princessy hairstyles, Rosabella got to dress comfortably and as she pleased. Darling often found herself envying Rosabella for this.

"Eh. It's no big deal, really." Darling crossed her legs and bit her lip. She glanced over at her Mirrorpad that was set up on its stand on Darling's desk. The giant clock onscreen was counting down until Darling could move again. And so far, she still had thirty-five minutes left. Ugh. "So what about you? Have any plans?"

Rosabella nodded and moved some of her brown hair out of her face. "Later on today, me and a few others are going to look for supporters in Book End. You see, at nearly every fancy restaurant, trolls aren't allowed. And I won't let that injustice stand, so I started a new petition. I just need people to sign it." Rosabella made it sound so easy, but Darling knew it was hard work looking for enough signatures. Especially since a lot of people didn't share the same views as Rosabella.

"Well, I wish you luck."

"Thanks. I'm gonna need it. I really hope I can reach one hundred signatures by the end of the day. It'd really make change for the trolls." The princess stuffed all of her clipboards and things into her backpack. "Well, I'm off," she announced, starting for the door.

"Bye," called Darling just as her roomie was leaving. Finally.

As soon as Rosabella was gone, Darling took out her weights again. And like she was never interrupted, she continued her workout.

 **xXx**

 **ღ** \- The Athlete's Field **ღ**

"Another enchanting shot for the school newspaper," announced Apple White as she captured another photo of the Track and Shield team on her Mirrorpad. As the editor of the paper, she took her job very seriously. It was her job to capture all the spellbinding moments of high school and turn them into something perfect.

Her Mirrorpad clicked as she took a photo of Cerise Hood as she completed another lap on the track. Cerise was the star of the Ever After High sports team; she somehow managed to run two or more laps around the track before anyone else could finish their first. Apple assumed Cerise was a good runner because her mother was Little Red Riding Hood, a damsel that had to escape a wolf. It probably took a lot of speed to outrun a wolf.

"Looking good, Cerise!" cheered Raven Queen from the bleachers below Apple. "One more and you'll beat your personal best!" Raven sounded so happy. So careless. Apple couldn't help but frown. How could Raven sound so carefree? Especially after she destroyed their story. As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven was _supposed_ to sign the Storybook of Legends and agree to become the next queen of evil. And as the next Evil Queen, she was supposed to poison Apple, the daughter of Snow White, with the poison apple. But since Raven had refused her destiny, Apple would never become the next Snow White, bite into the poison apple, fall into an enchanted sleep, awake from the kiss of her Prince Charming, and become queen and get her happily ever after.

Apple quickly brushed away the bad thoughts of Raven. Raven would come around soon. She had to. For the sake of their story and happily ever afters.

"Hey, Apple!" Holly O'Hair, the daughter of Rapunzel, sat down beside Apple and began gathering up her very-very long hair into her lap.

"Oh. Hey, Holly," said Apple, singing her words like usual. As the daughter of Snow White, she was supposed to sound cheerful at all times. Even when she was feeling blue.

"So, what do you think of our Princessology assignment? Pretty great huh? I mean, who wouldn't want to research the history of crowns and tiaras?" enthused Holly with a giggle, adjusting her own floral crown. "Easy A, huh?"

"Yeah. Easy," echoed Apple half-heartedly, snapping another picture of Daring Charming as he regally posed in the middle of the athlete's field. "To be honest, I didn't think much about it. I know all of that stuff anyway."

"I figured as much. As the daughter of Snow White, it _is_ your job to be the perfect royal," went on Holly, gluing her eyes to Daring. "It's practically your destiny to ace this test."

"Yeah. Destiny." Apple's heart dropped at that word. Ever since she was a little princess, Apple knew there was safety in destiny. After signing the Storybook of Legends, there was nothing to fear. No uncertainty. Everything would be perfect. But ever since Raven's rebellious choice not to become the next Evil Queen, Apple felt herself questioning destiny a lot.

How could someone feel assured in something they might not get?


	3. Darling in Domino

**A/N: One of my reviews actually put forth a good idea; why not make the Winx bond with their dragons like they did with the pixies and selkies? I can totally make that happen. I just gotta get there first. Anyways, thanks for all the lovely reviews and stuff. I really hope to make this story as successful as my other one. Yes, my original story had a lot of reviews, but I wasn't satisfied with what I wrote, ya know? I just hope the readers from my original story somehow find this one.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews and follows/favorites. It really makes me happy to receive feedback and support from you guys. Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy and don't forget to review! (By the way, sorry for such a late update. I won't let it happen again. Also, the descriptions of the girls' fairy forms belong to the wikia contributors.)**

 **Quick question: Roxy** _ **is**_ **a Believeix fairy, right? I mean, her outfit looks Charmix but her wings are bigger and her shoes look like Believeix boots.**

 **xXx**

 **ღ** Alfea – Archives **ღ**

"Whoa. Talk about a _major_ fashion disaster," commented Stella, turning the page of her book. "All these people look mad!" She handed the book over to Bloom and pointed at the people in the caption. "I mean, just _look_ at what they're wearing! He's wearing a teakettle on his head while she's literally sporting a _tablecloth_ as a dress! If you ask me, these people are fashion backwards."

"Not backwards. Unique," corrected Daphne, taking another tome off the bookshelf. "According to the research we've done so far, the people of Wonderland have a very unique culture. Thus, they dress differently. Very differently." She, the Winx, Specialists, and Paladins were assembled in the archives finding everything they could about Wonderland. Luckily and unfortunately for them, the Alfea archives was full of information about the magical land. In fact, there was so much stuff to cover, Roxy and the pixies even volunteered to help out.

"Ugh. This is boring. We've been cooped up in here for hours," complained Nex, crossing his arms and yawning. He was leaning back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling in boredom.

"First of all, it's only been thirty minutes. Secondly, you haven't done anything," said Roy in a near hiss to his Paladin rival.

"Whatever. Warriors don't read," insisted Nex after another yawn. He accidentally leaned back in chair too much, causing him and the chair to fall backwards onto the floor.

"What I don't understand is how I haven't come across all this information before," stated Daphne, using her magic to pull multiple books off their shelves. "The archives seem to be _full_ of info about Wonderland."

"Which is a good thing because I can't find anything about Wonderland on Alfea's online data banks," reported Tecna, swiping her finger across her touch-screen device.

"Neither can I," nodded Timmy, looking up from his own phone and adjusting his glasses. "In fact, I can't find anything about it online. It's like the place doesn't even exist."

"Maybe everything was taken down from the Web for a reason," inferred Aisha, setting down a stack of books. "The headmistress said the curse of Wonderland could flow through the other realms if Wonderland's portals were opened. Maybe all the information about Wonderland was taken down to keep this from happening."

"I still can't believe Wonderland's a real place," spoke up Roxy thoughtfully, "I thought it was always just a fictional world in books." Roxy, like Bloom, grew up on the planet Earth. She was the last Earth fairy, the fairy of animals, and the crowned princess of the Ancestral Fairies. Because she was new to the magic arts, she attended Alfea in hopes of becoming a better fairy.

"Hey, I think I found something," piped up Daphne. The others gathered around her as she began to read aloud from the book she was holding. "Wonderland can be accessed from all Earth realms via the rabbit holes. Rabbit holes are special Wonderlandian portals that are like burrows and rich in wild magic. They're located _all_ over the planet Earth and lead directly to Wonderland."

"Wait. If all of Wonderland's portals are closed, wouldn't that include the rabbit holes?" pointed out Bloom.

Daphne shook her head. "It says here that rabbit holes work in strange ways. Their magic is so strong, it can't be effected by dark sorcery."

"That's great! So all we have to do is find one. Can't be hard, right?" asked Stella, putting her hands on her hips. "Earth _is_ a small planet compared to the other ones in Magix. It shouldn't be that hard."

"On the contrary, Stella. Though the rabbit holes are spread all over Earth, they're extremely hard to find," corrected Daphne, turning the page of her thick book. "In fact, according to this book, only one human ever found a rabbit hole."

"If they're so difficult to locate, then how are _we_ supposed find one?" complained Stella, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Maybe I can help," squeaked Lockette, one of the pixies, fluttering beside Bloom. "As the pixie of portals, I can probably find a rabbit hole." She waved around her little wand, conjuring magical sparkles.

"That's thoughtful of you Lockette, but-"

"Winx!" cried out a girl, interrupting Daphne. She appeared in the doorway, breathing heavily. "The Trix! They're-" She paused briefly to catch her breath. "They're outside attacking the other students!" she exclaimed.

"Finally! Some action!" Nex jumped to his feet. "A little battle is exactly what I need to turn this day around."

"Wait. So you're saying you're happy Alfea's being attacked?" demanded Roy as the fairies and guys started quickly down the hall.

"Cool it, you two. Now is not the time to be aggressive with each other," pointed out Bloom as they ran through the west corridor. They burst through the main entrance and outside into the courtyard.

"Why are you running?" Darcy was taunting, throwing a dark spell at a running girl. "Don't you wanna stay and have a little fun?"

"Yeah! You fairies are too pathetic!" laughed Stormy wickedly, lighting crackling around her clenched fist. "Your magic is weak compared to ours!" She then looked towards the other Cloud Tower witches. "Let them have it, girls!" The airborne Cloud Tower students hooted and laughed and began terrorizing the Alfea students with their magic.

"We have to defend the school!" exclaimed Bloom loudly.

"Alright, Specialists! Grab your weapons and bikes so we can defend the students!" ordered Sky, "we'll leave the witches to the Winx." Their blue capes flowing behind them, the Specialists ran towards their air vehicles that were parked in the corner of the courtyard.

"Nex, let's give them so help," said Nex quickly. His fellow Paladin nodded and they hurried after the Specialists.

"Ready Winx?" asked Bloom, looking over her shoulder at her friends. "Let's transform!" Bloom, Musa, Aisha, Tecna, Stella, and Flora grouped together and struck their Bloomix transformation pose. "Magic Winx! Bloomix!" they yelled in unison. The girls instantly converted into their winged-beauty fairy alternation. At the same time, Daphne changed into her Sirenix form, while Roxy into her Believeix.

Being all Bloomix fairies, the six Winx girls' warrior fairy-like forms consisted of armor-like outfits in their signature colors, big wings with jewels hanging off them, forehead tiaras containing their piece of the Dragon Flame, pieces of transparent cloth attached to their outfits like the wings of flying squirrels, and leggings attached to their shoes. In her Sirenix fairy form, Daphne wore a pale green tube top and a pale blue ruffled mini skirt over pale blue leggings with yellow ribbons tied around them and matching ankle length boots. She had violet ribbons tied around her arms while her hair had light red streaks, and was tied into a ponytail. Her shell-shaped wings were yellow with green borders.

As a Believeix fairy, Roxy's fairy form was simpler. Roxy's fairy outfit consisted of a light sea green, one-armed top that had two pale lavender straps holding it over her right shoulder. She also had light sea-green shorts with a greenish-yellow belt over them. The belt had three purple circles on it with several pink ruffles hanging off of it. On her right arm was a light sea-green fingerless glove that reached between her shoulder and elbow. Her shoes were lime green, platform boots with white heels and pink socks. Her wings were edged with green and dark purple on the inside, while at the edges of the wings were swirled, light pink designs.

"Don't let the Trix hurt any of the students," Bloom directed her friends and sister. She then levitated a few inches off the ground and shouted, "Volcanic Attack!" She shot a pink, blue, yellow, and orange beam of energy at Stormy.

However, the witch of storms dodged the spell. "Ha! Looks like the Winx have finally decided to show themselves!" she taunted as the colorful, fiery spell whizzed by her. She looked at Darcy. "Let's give them a show, sister."

Darcy nodded. "Right. No holding back." The two then looked down confidently at the fairies with evil looks on their faces.

"Roxy, get inside," ordered Bloom, not taking her eyes off Darcy and Stormy, who were hovering above the school. "The Trix have gotten stronger. I can feel it."

"No, I'm ready! I've been practicing my spells. I wanna help!" protested Roxy, "this is my school, too!"

Musa squeaked as a stormy spell nearly hit her. "To be honest, I think we could use all the help we can get," she said quickly. She released a purple vortex-like sonic beam at Stormy. "Infinite Echo!" she yelled.

Stormy countered the attack with a misty lavender wave of energy. "Howling Storm!" Hers and Musa's spells collided, creating a strong wave of impact. The powerful effect from the clash sent Stormy and Darcy flying backwards, while it nearly knocked the Winx off their feet.

"All right, I've had enough of these witches," announced Stella, narrowing her eyes. She took to the sky, shooting an orange spiraling spell up at the group of Cloud Tower students. Her attack managed to come in contact with two witches, but the others were quick enough to escape the spell. And all at once, the unharmed witches threw dark spells down at Stella. "Yikes!" squeaked Stella, the witches' converged magic hitting her. Their merged spell was so strong, its impact threw Stella towards the ground.

"Stella! Are you all right?" shouted Bloom. She and Roxy immediately appeared at the blond fairy's side.

"Yeah. I think so," replied Stella slowly, rubbing her head and sitting up. "That spell was _strong_."

"Something tells me this isn't a normal attack," said Bloom as she and Roxy helped Stella to her feet. "Something's definitely wrong."

Stella growled. "Why won't these witches just give up? I'm tired of this." She let go of her friends and tried to fly. She managed to hover a few inches off the ground before she dropped back to the ground. Luckily, Bloom and Roxy caught her.

"Stella, you're injured and in no condition to fight," said Bloom as Stella wrapped her left arm around Bloom's neck and her right arm around Roxy's. "The witches' attack must've damaged your wings." She looked up. Daphne and the rest of the Winx were fighting the witches above the courtyard. They looked like they needed some assistance.

"They need our help! I'm fine," insisted Stella, trying to push her friends away. Without the support of her friends, she took _one_ step and yelped with pain. "My leg!" she cried out. She staggered backwards into Bloom. "Okay, maybe I'm a _little_ hurt," she admitted.

"Don't worry, Stella. We'll get you to the infirmary," promised Lockette as she and the other pixies fluttered beside the girls.

"Meanwhile, you and I are gonna help out the others," Bloom said to Roxy. Roxy nodded eagerly and the two took to the skies.

"Ha! Looks like the 'precious' fairy of the Dragon's Flame has finally decided to show her face," taunted Stormy as the two fairies positioned themselves a few feet away from Stormy and Darcy.

"And it looks like she brought a friend," observed Darcy, eyeing Roxy. "She looks pitiful. We'll be able to defeat her easily."

"Hey! I might be new to magic, but I'm not weak!" protested Roxy, clenching her fists.

"Roxy, wait." Bloom reached out for her friend, but Roxy pushed her away.

"Awe. It looks like the fairy is gonna show us what she's made of," cooed Stormy. She then snorted. "How cute. She thinks she can stand up to us. Foolish fairy."

"Carrion's Cry!" shouted Roxy, aiming a screeching generic blue spell at Darcy. However, the witch held out her hand and absorbed the spell easily.

"Is that all you got? As I was saying. _Pitiful_ ," spat Darcy with a wicked, rude laugh. "Now, it's my turn. Dark Breath!" With deadly speed, Darcy shot a ray of darkness at Roxy.

"Red Dragon Orb!" Bloom jumped in front of Roxy and activated her red, round fire-aura shield. Her powerful shield absorbed Darcy's ray of darkness, causing the shield to ripple.

"Whoa! I had no idea Darcy was so powerful," stated Roxy, taking shelter behind Bloom. "My magic won't be any help against her and Stormy." Roxy sighed.

Bloom's aura shield encircled the two fairies, blocking out the surrounding sound and protecting them from Darcy's and Stormy's spells. "There's no need to be hard on yourself," said Bloom softly, reaching out and squeezing Roxy's shoulder encouragingly. "You're new to magic. And besides, you're stronger than what you think. You even admitted that you're not as powerful as the Trix. It takes a real fairy to admit her weaknesses." Another ray of darkness struck the shield.

"Thanks Bloom." Roxy smiled widely. She then put on a serious face. "This shield won't last forever," she pointed out as the outside of the shield rippled again as another dark spell came in contact with it.

Bloom bobbed her head. "I'll handle the Trix. You help the others in the courtyard."

Roxy nodded once. "Right," she said confidently as Bloom deactivated her shield. "Good luck, Bloom." And with that, Roxy descended down towards the courtyard.

 **xXx**

"Chlorophyll Bolts!" shouted Flora, shooting pink and green energy beams at a witch.

The tricky witch leaped out of the way and into the air, aiming dark, foggy spells at Flora. Knowing she wasn't fast enough to reflect the spell, Flora shielded her face, expecting contact with the witch's magic.

"Flora, watch out!" cried out Roxy. The fairy suddenly descended from the sky and landed in the courtyard beside Flora, activating a glittery purple protective shield. Instead of striking Flora, the witch's dark spell hit Roxy's shield. However, the witch wasn't finished with her assault. As Roxy's shield inactivated, the witch shot another dark ray at the girls. "Yikes, watch out," shouted Roxy, using both hands to shoot sparkling purple and green beams at the witch. Her magic hit the witch dead on, sending the dark sorceress flying.

"Good job, Roxy. Your magic is getting stronger," complimented Flora, giving Roxy a thumbs-up.

"Thanks. Aisha's been teaching me how to use my spells." Just then, Daphne and the other Winx excluding Bloom and Stella landed beside Roxy and Flora.

"Look! They're regrouping!" exclaimed Daphne, pointing up at the sky. Sure enough, the students of Cloud Tower were grouping together above the courtyard. They all looked down in the direction of the girls and raised their arms, conjuring magic a few centimeters above their heads.

"Heads up! They're about to cast a convergence spell!" shouted Aisha as a large storm cloud began to form over the witches.

"Then we'll do the same," said Musa confidently and quickly, "c'mon, everyone! You know what to do." Daphne and the Winx exchanged understanding looks and began to join hands.

"I've never been a part of a convergence spell before," said Roxy with a hint of nervousness, taking Flora's hand.

"Will this even work? We all don't even share the same fairy forms," pointed out Musa, glancing at Daphne and Roxy uncertainly.

"Convergence is really about the bond between the fairies casting it," reminded Daphne thoughtfully and loudly as the wind began to howl due to the witches' spell, "the level of magic really doesn't have anything to do with it."

"Alright, everyone! Ready?" shouted Aisha once everyone's hands were entwined with each other's. The essence from the Cloud Tower witches' spell was so negative, the sky began to darken and dark clouds started to roll in.

"Ready!" shouted the rest of the girls in unison as the witches' converged spell began to grow even bigger. "Magic Convergence!" the girls yelled together. Flora felt their strong magic coursing through her body as colorful rainbows emerged from their bodies. This was the best part about convergence; feeling the powerful bond the fairies shared. The rainbows, the result of the girls merged magic, spiraled towards the witches just as they aimed their dark storm cloud at the Winx, Daphne, and Roxy.

Unfortunately for the dark sorceresses, the fairies' magic was stronger than theirs. The rainbows whizzed straight through the witches' evil storm cloud, disintegrating it completely. The fairies' merged magic went a step forward by colliding into the witches, throwing them over and away from the school into the surrounding trees.

"Woohoo! We did it!" cheered Aisha, leaping off the ground and pumping a fist into the air.

The Paladins and Specialists, who had just finished evaluating the Alfea students into the building, joined the girls on their air bikes. "Nice job, girls," congratulated Thoren, taking off his red helmet.

"We can't speak just yet. Look!" Tecna pointed upwards at the sky. "Bloom's still fighting Stormy and Darcy!" And from the looks of the battle, the Trix sisters were getting the upper advantage. Bloom was able to aim attacks at them, but the evil sisters had a number advantage.

"Then let's fly up there and give her a hand," said Flora positively before taking to the air with her friends.

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

"Daring Charming" trotted up the mountainside and stopped in front of "his" secret cave. "Whew. Another successful, epic adventure," breathed Darling as she removed the heavy white helmet from her head, her hair cascading down her back. "But it's time to call it a day." She had spent the whole morning and early afternoon going around the Village of Book End in her older brother Daring's armor, playing the part of a hero. Since Darling was destined to be a damsel, she couldn't openly be the hero she knew she was meant to be. Thus, she often borrowed her brother's armor and performed heroic, daring, and action-packed deeds under the appearance of her brother. Darling honestly didn't mean to be deceitful like that, but it was the only way for her to do what she loved best: being a hero.

The princess removed her breastplate and then her shoulder pads. She felt relief wash over her as she removed the hot, heavy plating. Though she didn't really mind the dense protective covering, it was nice to not feel weighed down by the armor's metal makeup. "Oh yeah. That feels great," Darling said to herself as she removed her metal boots and wiggled her toes. After she took off the rest of her brother's armor, she wiped away most of her sweat and changed back into her frilly outfit.

Afterwards, she secured Daring's armor back into the place he left it, and slipped out of the cave. The princess thought of her heroic deeds of the day as she strolled down the mountainside's sloping trail. While she was disguised as Daring, she had managed to rescue two children from a fire, fend off a dragon, and even stop a troll that had been raiding the village. Although Daring got credit for _her_ acts, moments like those were the highlights of Darling's day.

Darling continued to dream of her courageous achievements as she made her way to the Village of Book End. Because it was Saturday, the village was packed with students who were retreating from their hectic lives and looking for some relaxation. Darling wished she could blend in with them and just enjoy her Saturday as a normal student, but Charmings _always_ drew attention whether they wanted it or not.

"Hey, look! Isn't that Darling Charming?" squealed a passerby as she and her friends were passing by.

"Her brother Daring is _so_ cute," said another.

Because she grew up with everyone fonding over her, Darling was used to this kind of treatment. She just chose not to let the attention go to her head, unlike her overly conceited older brother Daring.

"Marry me, Princess Darling!" shouted a young man dreamily as Daring passed by the shop he was exiting. Darling also received way more marriage proposals a week than what the average princess got in her lifetime. That might've sounded like an exaggeration, but Darling couldn't recall not one morning when there wasn't a bouquet of flowers or romantic poems waiting for her at her doorstep.

"I'll think about it," called Darling kindly as she sped up her pace. Darling knew lots of other princesses who would have turned down the young man rudely, but Darling didn't want to be rude.

Besides all the candy, flowers, cards, and dreamy sighs she received, there was also a dark side to all this attention. Chaos seemed to follow Darling wherever she went; on her way to the Hocus Latte, two carriage drivers were too busy staring at her instead of the road, so their carriages collided into each other.

Darling squeaked and felt herself speed walking. She needed to hurry and get to her destination before she caused even more destruction. Proper princesses weren't allowed to run in public, so Darling sped walked the fastest she could to the Hocus Latte. The fresh scent of coffee beans greeted Darling as she entered the Hocus Latte, the coffee shop's bell ringing above her head.

She waved friendlily at some of her friends as she walked up to the counter to place her order. "Well, if it isn't Darling Charming," sneered Duchess Swan, crossing her arms and snorting at Darling.

"Hi, Duchess," said Darling shortly as the barista disappeared into the backroom to get something.

"What brings you to the village? To soak up your admiration?" jeered Duchess, sending a death glare at a few boys who were standing by the window, staring at Darling with dreamy eyes. "It must be nice having people swoon and fond over your every move." Darling didn't pay any attention to the bitterness in Duchess's voice. Duchess acted the same way towards every princess who had a good storybook ending. As the daughter of the Swan Queen, Duchess didn't have a happily ever after like most of the other princesses. Instead, she was cursed to lose her true love and live out the rest of her days as a swan after she graduated from Ever After High. Thus, because of her bad ending, Duchess chose to bring out her fear and unhappiness on the others by being bitter.

Darling bit her lip. She was tempted to retort Duchess's statement and tell her about the carriage collision she had caused earlier. _That_ wasn't nice at all. In fact, it was the complete opposite. But Darling didn't say this. Instead, she shrugged. "You know it's not like that," she said as the barista reappeared and handed her a paper coffee cup. Darling dropped a few coins on the counter and started away from Duchess.

"Yeah right." Duchess laughed rudely and began to dance gracefully around Darling as she made her way to the door. "You'd be naïve not to like all this attention." The swan princess gestured towards the group of admiring boys who were still watching Darling.

"Marry me, Darling!" one of them called out as they exited the Hocus Latte.

"She's so pretty," another one was gushing.

"As I said. Must be nice," smirked Duchess rudely as the girls walked out onto the village's cobblestone road. "If I were a famous damsel like you, I'd soak up every minute of this."

 _Damsel._ Darling _was not_ one of those. "I have to go," she said slowly, taking a quick glance at the swan princess. And with that, she quickly walked away.

 **xXx**

Darling set her coffee cup on the edge of the wishing well and sighed. She was now taking refuge in the Enchanted Forest, a quiet place where Darling found it easy to think. The princess was still a little upset about earlier when Duchess called her a damsel. She wasn't mad at Duchess for calling her one; everyone thought she was. She was upset that no one could or would never see her as the hero she wanted to be. They couldn't see past her heritage and reputation as King Charming's daughter. It just hurt Darling to know she would never be able to openly live out her dream of being a hero and not a damsel. If she did ever decide to show her true colors, that would mean problems for the Charming reputation. For generations and generations, male Charmings grew up to be heroes, while the girls grew up to be the most dainty and helpless of damsels. And as a girl, Darling was "destined" to be one of those helpless dainties. If she refused this fate, that would greatly damage her family's famous reputation.

"Sometimes, I just wish I wasn't a princess," sighed Darling with a frown, crossing her arms. "Then I could live out my dream as a swordswoman." Darling made a sharp turn and stretched out her arm like she was wielding a sword. "I could slay dragons and save people from evil witches," went on Darling, striking another action pose. "I could save lives! Villages! Even kingdoms!" Darling felt herself calming down as she thought about all the epic adventure she could have. If only she could make her dreams a reality.

"I just wish there was someplace I could go where I could be a hero," said Darling with another sigh, "someplace where my storybook destiny doesn't mean anything. Someplace where I could make a difference as _myself_."

And just then, something magical happened. Just as Darling was taking up her coffee from the edge of the wishing well, a magical opening appeared in the thick trunk of one of the trees, starling Darling. "Huh? What's this?" wondered aloud Darling, nearing the tree slowly. The yellow, glowing portal was big enough to be a doorway but small enough to fit perfectly in the giant tree's trunk. "Where'd this come from?"

Hope sparked inside of Darling. In the fairytale world, random doorways and portals _always_ led to an adventure. But what kind? Where exactly would this portal take her? To Neverland with the ruthless, thieving pirates? Or what about Candyland with its meadows and forests of sweet, edible plants and houses? Was it worth the risk to walk through the doorway? What would happen if she did? Well, there was only _one_ way to find out.

"Well, it looks like I'm doing this," announced Darling, taking a step forward. She couldn't help but feel excitement. "Here I go," she said to herself, closing her eyes and walking through the yellow opening. When she opened them, all she saw was yellow. And it was all around her. Darling tried to look down at her hands, but she couldn't see them. In fact, she couldn't even see her body! She reached over and pinched her right arm to make sure she still had a physical form.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed as the pain from her pinch stung her arm. Okay, so her body _was_ there. She just couldn't see it. That was good, she guessed. But what was she supposed to do now? Keep walking in the sea of yellowness or turn back? Darling glanced over her shoulder to make sure the doorway was still behind her. Unfortunately, the opening had vanished.

But to Darling's luck, a white doorway identical to the first one suddenly appeared a couple feet in front of Darling. _That's where I need to be_ , thought Darling, pressing forward. As she neared the portal, she could see what was on the other side. Grass. And flowers. Lots of flowers. That was a good thing in Darling's opinion. At least she was going someplace pleasant. Darling continued to push herself forward.

 _Onward!_

 _Onward!_

 _Onward!_

Tiny voices around her seemed to chant that word louder as she got closer to the white doorway. It was almost like they were encouraging her to go through it. _Here I go again!_ Darling closed her eyes and pushed herself into the white, glistening doorway.

 **xXx**

Darling fell face-flat into a pile of soft flowers. "That was convenient," she said appreciatively, standing up. She looked around at her surroundings. She was surrounded by colorful, grassy, lush meadows and rigid mountains. "This is nice," she said to herself. Then she remembered the portal. She turned around to see that the white doorway was carved into the bottom of one of the tall rock formations. Why didn't this one disappear like the other one? Maybe this was actually a good thing. After all, Darling would need a way back home after she explored this new place.

And speaking of the new place, it was _beautiful._ As Darling started across the meadow, she noticed that the grass and flowers she walked on felt like pillows under her feet; the meadow was just that lush. The more and more she walked, the more Darling felt like running through the field. Oh what the hex! No was watching to scold her. Darling took off her ornate silver heels and held on to them as she began to lightly run atop the thick grass and flowers.

"This is so cool!" she exclaimed as the plush vegetation tickled the spaces in between her toes. A nice light breeze then brushed against her, making Darling feel carefree. She'd never been to a place like this. She'd never felt so much peace and magic in once place. The princess outstretched her hand as a group of butterflies fluttered by. A few of them lightly attached themselves onto her outfit while others perched themselves on her crown and curly blond and light blue hair.

Darling stopped briefly as a family of furry rabbits hopped by. She looked up at the sky and squinted against the rays of the bright sun. Oddly, the sun wasn't the only thing hovering in the deep blue sky. There were several other planet-like orbs up there; Darling counted seven in total. That was unusual indeed. Whenever Darling looked up at the sky from one of Ever After High's many balconies, all she saw was sun, sky, and sometimes the moon. Not other planets. Or whatever those orbs were in the sky.

Choosing to ignore the strange round objects in the sky, Darling continued through the flowers until she came across a massive palace in the middle of the valley. Loud, gleeful chatter buzzed about as groups of people passed through the palace's front entrance. "I wonder what's going on," wondered aloud Darling, slipping back into her shoes.

No one paid her any attention as she maneuvered through the crowd and climbed atop a nearby hill that set on the side of the path leading towards the palace. Because she was now high enough, Darling could get an even better view of the new, unusual place. The valley was on high elevated land and a vast ocean stretched out below. The road leading to the palace also extended above and across the ocean to some kind of gated ceremonial garden surrounded by trees.

"Young lady! The ceremony is about to start and you shouldn't be late," scolded a passing lady kindly but firmly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I'm coming." Though she had no idea what this ceremony was about, she slid down the slope of the hill and joined the others on the road. The princess followed everyone through the palace gate and into a vast, royal courtyard. It was crowded with people of all ages who appeared to be waiting for something. All the women wore long dresses and decorative accessories, while the men wore old-fashioned robes and capes. In Darling's opinion, they all dressed classical and old-fashioned like the older generation of fairytales back in Ever After.

"Um, excuse me," called Darling softly to a nearby lady. When the lady appeared at Darling's side with a kind smile, Darling curtsied and asked her question. "Could you tell me what this ceremony is honoring?" she asked politely.

The lady looked confused and then smiled. "You must be new to Domino," she said understandingly, "this is the citizens' ceremony. Every once and while, King Oritel and Queen Marion welcome the inhabitants of their kingdom into their royal palace."

 _Domino. That's where I am._ Darling nodded. "Thank you," she smiled. The princess then slipped away into the crowd. Where in Ever After was Domino? Was it even in Ever After? It was obviously a monarchy, but Darling had never heard of it. She was too absorbed in her thoughts, she accidentally ran into a man. "Oops. My bad!" she apologized quickly, stepping back.

"Watch where you're going, little girl," spat the man in return, glaring down at Darling. She startled when she saw his creepy, sly face. The princess immediately began to feel uncomfortable and suspicious at the same time.

"I'll just get out of your way," she said quickly, sliding aside. The man hissed at her before disappearing into the crowd of ecstatic Domino citizens. "That was weird," Darling said lowly to herself. He was definitely up to something. Her thoughts were interrupted when trumpets and horns began to play. The crowds around her began to clap and cheer as the regal music got louder. Eager to see what was happening, Darling pushed through to the front of the crowd and looked up at what everyone else was looking at.

Above the courtyard was a large platform where stood and a regally dressed man and woman, who Darling guessed to be the queen and king. The queen had wavy red hair that was in long tendrils falling down from a large, ornate updo surrounded by a strand of beads and a three-pointed crown. Her royal attire was comprised of a long dress in two shades of green, a pink corset bodice with dark pink or purple patterns on the front, a faint green kirtle, green and pink shoulder plates, and an elegant whitish-pink fur cape that seemed to double as a boa at the front. The king had brown hair and wore a gold crown, silver shoulder pads, head armor without the visor, and a long red and white robe with hanging sleeves.

"Greeting to all of Domino's loyal citizens," announced Queen Marion with a wide smile, waving back at her subjects. She was holding her husband's right arm and looked just as cheerful as her subjects.

"It's good to see you all," added King Oritel with a smile similar to Marion's.

"Excuse me. Could you move so I can see?" squeaked a little child behind Darling, tugging on the princess's dress.

"Sure." As Darling scooted over for the little boy, she noticed something strange. A guard with a sword at his side was standing by the gate, staring at the royal family oddly. He then gazed at another man, who was nearly blending in with the crowd. Darling followed the guard's gaze and gasped when she noticed the second man was the same sly guy she had bumped into earlier. The two men exchanged nods and the guard began to slowly scoot towards the grand staircase the king and queen were descending.

 _Something isn't right._ The crowds began to cheer louder as their king and queen strolled down the royal red-carpeted staircase. Streamers and balloons started to rain down on everyone as the royal couple stepped down into the courtyard. However, Darling wasn't paying attention to the king and queen. Her eyes were following the suspicious guard's every move.

The guard paused beside the other guards and nodded towards Sly Guy. Sly Guy returned the nod and moved deeper into the crowd. Darling glanced over her shoulder to see Sly Guy whispering to _another_ man. Something was being planned. Sly Guy gestured for the third man to look up and Darling looked in the direction he was pointing.

She nearly screamed when she saw that one of the guards was watching the queen and king from a higher balcony, a bow and arrow in hand. He was too high up for anyone to notice, but Darling could see him clearly. The guard pulled back the bow's string and pointed his arrow at the queen, who was now greeting her subjects unsuspectingly.

He was going to murder the queen! "Your Highness, watch out!" shouted Darling, throwing herself at the queen just as the guard released his arrow. Darling pushed Marion out of the way just as the arrow stuck into the ground the queen had been standing. The cheering died down and a few people even screamed.

They weren't out of hot water yet. The guard who had inched by the other guards suddenly drew his sword and charged towards Darling and Marion, ready to slice something or someone in half.

"Watch out!" shouted Darling. The princess leaped into action. She reached out for the sword of a nearby guard and drew it from his belt. Oritel was drawing his own sword, but Darling knew he wasn't going to make it to Marion in time. Not caring that she was openly wielding a sword, Darling jumped in the way of the guard and countered the blow that was meant for the queen.

"Get out of the way, girl!" shouted the guard roughly, swinging his sword at Darling. He thrust his weapon at Darling's waist, but she dodged.

 _Clang!_

 _Clang!_

 _Clang!_

Their swords clanged loudly as they fought. Darling had to admit: this guy was good with his weapon. The crowd parted as the fighters maneuvered around the courtyard, their swords clashing into each other.

"Ha! You're weak, girl," insulted the guard, forcing Darling towards the wall as his blows got stronger.

That's when Darling noticed her chance. Instead of using small, steady movements, the guard was using his entire arm to move his sword. That and he wasn't clutching his sword's handle entirely. "And you're inexperienced," retorted Darling, swinging her blade at his blade's handle. Shocked by Darling's move, the guard dropped his sword before Darling's blade could pierce his skin.

Seeing he was unbalanced, Darling tripped him. The guard then fell to the ground and Darling pointed her sword at him so he couldn't get up. "Who's the weak one now?" she asked thinly.

"Guards! Arrest him!" ordered Oritel, appearing at Darling's side. "Lock him up with his other accomplices!" He pointed his sword towards Sly Guy and the other man he had been with. Both men were being arrested by the royal guards. The guard Darling had taken the sword from roughly pulled Darling's opponent up to his feet.

"Sorry about taking your sword," apologized Darling, handing him his sword back. The guard winked, took back his sword, and pushed Darling's opponent in the direction of his other binded partners. Once the bad guys were led away to the dungeon, Oritel rested a hand on Darling's shoulder.

"Thank you for saving the queen," he smiled gratefully.

Darling curtsied as the queen joined her husband. "You saved my life, young lady. I am much obliged," announced Queen Marion, smiling kindly at Darling. "I wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for your courageous acts and skills."

"It wasn't any trouble, really," assured Darling, holding back a blush.

"What is your name?" asked Oritel warmheartedly.

"Darling. Darling Charming," replied Darling as the king took her arm and raised it high.

"Then from now on, the people of Domino will always welcome and honor this young lady into our kingdom," announced Oritel as the crowd began to cheer and clap madly. Darling blushed and gave the crowd a tiny wave. "Darling, the new hero of Domino!" The people of Domino began to roar and call Darling's name, but the girl wasn't paying attention. She was too shocked.

 _A hero._ He just called her a _hero._

"Thank you for kindness." Darling curtsied at the citizens of Domino and then at the king and queen again. She could feel herself beaming.

She was actually a real hero now! And something told Darling this wouldn't be the end of her heroic deeds.


	4. The Sword of Vorpal

**Sorry, I know this chapter is bad. I was rushing it.**

 **xXx**

"Ray of Darkness!" shouted Darcy, aiming her dark ray at Flora. Luckily, Aisha got in the dark ray's path and used her Morphix shield to protect Flora from the dark magic. The witches and fairies were in the middle on a heated battle in the sky above Alfea.

"You know what, sister? I think we've just about had enough of these fairies," announced Stormy, regrouping with her Darcy and the other Cloud Tower Witches. "I think it's about time we let _her_ have some fun now."

"Her? What's going on?" asked a puzzled Roxy, flying up besides the Winx with Daphne and the pixies. The Specialists and Paladins also joined them in the air on their air vehicles.

"Wait. Something isn't right," said Bloom, narrowing her eyes at the witches. Her eyes then widened with realization. "Where's Icy? We haven't seen her at all during the fight." Just then, the flying school of Cloud Tower bubbled into visibility in the distance. Dark clouds were floating around the castle with powerful dark lightning flashing inside them.

"Look! There's Cloud Tower!" exclaimed Daphne, pointing at the hovering school.

"And something else, too," smirked Stormy, putting her hands on her hips. As soon as she said this, a massive shriek resonated from Cloud Tower. "Prepare yourself, fairies!" yelled Stormy, pointing at the Winx and their allies. "Your nightmares are about to come true!" Bloom clenched her fists and looked towards Cloud Tower. A storm was coming. She could feel it.

"What's that noise?" asked Roxy loudly over the loud sound of flapping.

"There!" Everyone looked in the direction Roy was pointing in. A massive black figure was emerging from the scary castle. It shrieked and began moving towards them.

"What is that?" asked Tecna, squinting her eyes in the thing's direction. "I can't make out what it is from here." Bloom gasped as the creature got closer. She could now see the creature's massive figure and long black wings. Panic begin to rise inside of Bloom as the creature got closer, revealing itself to actually be some kind of winged beast.

"Everyone, get down!" screamed Bloom. Just as everyone was ducking their heads, the massive creature sailed over them, its wings creating a powerful gust of wind.

"Hi there, fairies? How do you like my new pet?" laughed Icy wickedly as the winged beast stopped in front of the other witches.

"What _is_ that thing?" cried out Roxy, her hand flying to her mouth. The beast Icy was perched on resembled a dragon, but had long bunny teeth and fur-ragged paws. It nearly looked like some freakish combination of a lizard and rabbit.

"Your doom!" Icy smirked and looked down at Alfea. "Why don't I show you just what he can do?" And as if on cue, the winged beast snarled and opened its mouth, releasing a blot black fire at Alfea's tallest tower. It's fire blot was so powerful, it went _through_ the tower, casting the entire thing into black flames.

"Whoa! Now _that's_ powerful," commented Nex, as the rubble from the destroyed tower fell to the courtyard.

"Now's not the time to crack jokes, Nex," snapped Roy, parking his air vehicle beside Nex's, "look at what it did!"

"Trust me, there's a lot more where that came from," assured Icy, clenching the reins. "Because me and my new weapon are here to stay!" The beast hissed and howled in response to Icy's maniacal laughter. It roared and released another dark fire bolt, this time directed at the courtyard. Luckily, all of the students had been evacuated outside, so no one was hurt when the creature's fire created a crater in the courtyard.

Bloom growled. This was bad! "It's gonna destroy the entire school at this rate!" cried Musa in alarm, "we need to do something _now_!"

"But what? We don't stand a chance against a dragon as powerful as that," pointed out Timmy, adjusting his helmet nervously.

"Roxy." Bloom glanced over her shoulder at the fairy. "I need you to find Headmistress Faragonda and tell her to activate Alfea's magic shields. It's the only way to protect our school!"

"Right." Roxy nodded. "I won't let you down." She then descended down towards the courtyard.

"Aw, what's this? Is that little fairy running away?" taunted Icy, watching Roxy fly downwards. "As expected of a fairy." She began to laugh victoriously and the rest of the witches joined in.

This was Bloom's chance while the witches weren't paying attention to them. "Listen, everyone!" she exclaimed, turning her back to the evil-doers as her team surrounded her. "We won't be able to defeat that thing. It's too powerful."

"But what are we supposed to do? Let Alfea get destroyed?" countered Aisha angrily, clenching her fists and glaring at the witches, who were now boasting about themselves and their newfound power.

"Listen. Alfea's shields are going to go up at any second," continued Bloom, "but that still isn't going to stop the witches from trying to destroy Alfea. We can't leave the school defenseless, so here's the plan…"

 **xXx**

 _I gotta find the headmistress!_ Roxy flew over a large piece of rubble that had fallen from one of the towers, through the ceiling, and landed in the middle of the corridor. The other students whispered in distress as Roxy flew past. They were probably frightened that the school was falling apart. Roxy too would be scared if she hadn't had such an important job to do.

Roxy landed in the doorway of the infirmary, where Stella was sitting on a medical bed. "Stella! Have you seen the headmistress?" asked Roxy quickly as the building shook.

"I think she went to her office!" Stella, who was no longer in her fairy form, stood up. "Why? What's going on out there? Why's the school shaking?"

"Long story." Roxy didn't give herself time to explain. She darted down the hallway in the direction of the headmistress's office.

"Roxy, wait!" called Stella from behind, "what's going on? Are the others all right?"

Roxy didn't answer. She couldn't afford to waste any time! "Ms. Faragonda, Alfea's in danger!" she cried out, flying into the headmistress's office. The woman was seated at her desk, speaking to a hologram of Saladin, the headmaster of the Red Fountains School.

"The witches are attacking my school and will no doubt come for yours next," Faragonda was warning Saladin, "you need to protect yourself and your students." She looked up at Roxy. "Saladin, we will have to speak later. I have other things to resolve." The hologram disappeared and Faragonda quickly rose from her seat. "What's going on out there?" she asked Roxy as the school shook again.

"The Trix have this new dragon and it's attacking the school! It already destroyed parts of the building," explained Roxy quickly, "you need to activate Alfea's protective barrier or the witches will completely demolish our school!"

Faragonda nodded understandingly. "I'll summon the protective barrier right away." Just then, the school shook again and a large remain of one of the towers sunk through the roof and landed on Faragonda's desk. Luckily, the woman had jumped out of the way just in time. The debris was aflame with black fire and Faragonda gasped at the sight of it.

"It cannot be!" she breathed, her eyes widening in terror. "The only beast that posses fire like that is-"

The school violently shook again. "Headmistress, we can't waste time or we'll lose Alfea," cried Roxy.

The woman shook out of her daze. "Yes, you are correct. I'll go activate the shields while you go and help the others outside. We cannot allow the Trix to prevail or else everything will be lost."

 **xXx**

Bloom flapped her wings madly as she flew through the thick storm clouds. "Ha! You can't escape from me, Bloom!" yelled Icy from behind, who was chasing Bloom on her winged beast.

Bloom gasped and flew to the left as another one of the creature's fiery black bolts sailed by her. Her plan was to lead Icy and her creature as far away from Alfea as possible, so when the shields went up, Icy wouldn't be its range. "You'll never catch me, Icy!" yelled Bloom behind her shoulder as the witch's beast hissed and snarled at her.

"Ha! We'll see about that! Faster!" Icy ordered her winged pet, kicking its side. Bloom squeaked as the beast gained speed and flew past her. It stopped in her path, forcing Bloom to stop. They were above the wildland, which was not far from Alfea but far enough. "You have nowhere to go now, Bloom! It's time for you to face the music!" Still gripping the reins with her left hand, Icy outstretched her right hand at Bloom and a ball of ice began to form a few centimeters away from her palm.

"Evil will never win, Icy!" shouted Bloom as it rain to thunder lightning, "you'll never defeat me and my friends because the light will always shine through the darkness _. Always._ Volcanic Attack!" She hurled her fiery spell at the beast. The terrifying creature growled and flicked its tail in the way of Bloom's spell, reflecting it back at the fairy. "Yikes!" Bloom ducked as her spell flew over her head.

"Not even your Dragon Flame can harm my pet," taunted Icy, petting the beast's head. "It's the ultimate weapon! Nothing can stand against me!"

 _Keep her talking, Bloom._ She needed to keep the witch occupied long enough for Faragonda to summon Alfea's defensive shields. Hopefully, the Winx, Specialists, and Paladins were having success with their end of the plan.

"Speaking of your new 'pet', where did it come from? It's not like the wild dragons that roam the dimension. Did you find the creature in the depths of the one dark realms, or is this another of the Legendarium's tricks?"

"Wouldn't you like to know. It won't matter if I tell you or not, anyway. You won't be around for that much longer," promised Icy, "Icicle Rampage!" She shot a ray of icy energy at Bloom with her free hand.

Bloom dodged the spell easily. "Is that you got?" she provoked.

Icy laughed. "As a matter of fact, it isn't." She rubbed the beast's head again. "Show this pathetic fairy what you're capable of," she told it wickedly. Her beast purred at the sound of Icy's voice and then screeched at Bloom. It opened its mouth widely and released its signature black fire bolt at her.

Bloom, having seen this attack one too many times, knew what was coming next. "Unstoppable Fire!" she activated her fiery aura shield to protect herself from the monster's attack. Unfortunately for her, the beast was _way_ more powerful than what Bloom assumed it to be. She screamed as the black bolt flew straight through her fiery shield and hit her directly in the chest.

She screamed as the impact from the attack violently threw her backwards in the direction of Alfea, knocking her unconscious.

 **xXx**

"Morphix Mega Net!" shouted Aisha, shooting a beam of Morphix at a few witches. The beam morphed into a cage, trapping the witches inside of it. That was two more down.

"Aisha, where's Bloom?" asked Roxy, flying up the girl as the rain began to pour down on them. "The shields could come up any second!" The plan was for Bloom to steer Icy away from Alfea while the others got the other witches as far away from the school as possible, so when the protective shields did come up, the evil-doers wouldn't get enclosed inside the shield along with the school.

"She's stalling Icy," replied Aisha over the howling wind, "she should be back soon."

"I hope, because the headmistress is about to activate the barrier," informed Roxy, aiming a sparkly green spell at one of the witches. "And Bloom can't be trapped outside it with the witches." The last part of Bloom's plan was for the do-gooders to get within radius of Alfea's protective barrier after forcing the witches back, so when it activate, they'd be inside it and protected from the dark sorceresses.

"Ugh! I don't know what, but you fairies are definitely up to something," yelled Stormy, appearing behind them. She shot a dark spell at Aisha, but the fairy countered the attack with a Morphix spell.

"Aisha, Musa and I'll handle Stormy," offered Tecna as the two girls flew beside Aisha, "you put out the fire with your magic." She pointed downwards towards the school. Part of the building was still aflame with Icy's beast's black fire.

"Right." Aisha nodded and flew descended towards the school.

"You fairies think you can take _me_ on? Well, guess again!" taunted Stormy, aiming a beam of lightning at Tecna.

"Organic Cube!" Tecna's spell created a neon green cube-shaped defensive shield in front of her and it absorbed Stormy's lightning.

"I think it's just about time you face the music!" exclaimed Musa, "Infinite Echo!" Her musical, purple vortex-like spell hit Stormy and its screeching volume threw Stormy backwards, all the way towards Cloud Tower in the distance.

"Yeah, nice one!" cheered Tecna, high-fiving the girl.

"They're too strong for us!" panicked one of the Cloud Tower students, regrouping with her classmates. "We need to retreat!"

"What? NO! We don't run from fairies! Stand your ground," ordered Darcy firmly and nastily. However, her students didn't obey her. Instead, they hissed at the fairies and all took off for their flying, evil school. "What are you doing? I order you all to come back _now_!" yelled Darcy.

"Well, well, well. It looks like you two are all alone," taunted Musa as Stormy joined her sister, while Daphne, Roxy, and the guys sided with Musa and Tecna.

"Ugh! Let's go, sister. We'll let Icy deal with them," snarled Darcy before taking off after the other witches.

"This isn't over!" yelled Stormy, following after her sister and shaking her fist at the do-gooders. "You fairies haven't won anything!" The rain began to pour down harder and the powerful lightning began to strike faster.

"The storm's getting worse," observed Daphne as water dripped off her wings, "where's Bloom? I'm getting worried." Just then, lightning flashed and something aflame with black fire sailed by them with the same speed as the lightning. Though it happened so fast, Musa got a glimpse of the glittery wings that was inside the fire bolt.

"Whoa! What was that?" asked Nex.

"Bloom! That was Bloom!" yelled Musa, "someone catch her!"

"Digital Room!" shouted Tecna, shooting a spell at the bolt. A green cube formed around it, and lowered to the ground.

"Bloom!" cried out Daphne, descending to the ground after the green cube. Black fire sailed by her, missing her by a slim shot.

"Not so fast, fairies!" laughed Icy evilly, appearing with her winged beast of darkness. "We're not through yet."

"Everyone, look!" Roxy pointed down at Alfea. A large blue bubble was already starting to rise above the school. "The barrier's activating!"

"And we need to be on the other side." Tecna grabbed Roxy's arm and the fairies and guys began to fly towards the school, Icy and her winged beast hot on their trail.

"Ha! You can't outrun me!" yelled Icy from behind.

"We aren't going to make it!" shouted Brandon as the protective shield grew taller, "it's closing too fast!"

"Don't assume just yet!" said Daphne loudly, fiery aura emerging from her body. The girls' wings and the guy's bikes absorbed the magic, making them speed up. In fact, her magic gave them just enough speed to fly through the opening up at the top of the barrier just as it was closing.

* * *

 **xXx**

Bloom fluttered her eyelids. What happened? "Hey, guys! She's waking up!" called Stella, who was watching over Bloom. Bloom sat up and held her aching head.

"Bloom! We didn't think you'd recover so fast," remarked Tecna as the guys and fairies crowded into the infirmary and around her bed.

"What happened?" groaned Bloom.

"You were attacked by Icy's beast yesterday," replied Daphne, stepping beside her sister's bed with a book tucked under her arm. "You were on fire. Literally."

"What about the Trix? Where are they?"

"We drove them back to Cloud Tower right before the shield went up," explained Sky, "at first, they tried to break through the school's barrier, but gave up. They went back to Cloud Tower."

"Which is still parked above Alfea," added Thoren with frown, "the witches have made it clear they aren't going anywhere."

"During their attack, they greatly damaged Alfea," recalled Bloom, slowing standing up. "The shield won't be able to stay up forever. The witches are just waiting for Alfea to become defenseless so they can carry out the last of their assault. We can't let that happen." She started down the corridor and the others followed after her.

"But how are we supposed to defend ourselves now that Icy has a new toy?" asked Aisha, speeding up to Bloom's side. "That thing is too powerful. Look what it did to Alfea." They walked around a large chuck of debris in the hallway. "It demolished part of the school!"

"That _thing_ isn't going to stop us," said Bloom determinedly, looking over her shoulder at her friends. "We'll find a way to stop it." They entered the archives, where Faragonda, Griffin, and Palladium were waiting for them.

"Bloom. It is good to see you're in good health," smiled Faragonda, clasping her hands behind her back. "Your Dragon Flame must've boosted your recovery. And now that you're once again conscious, we have some things to discuss. Thankfully, none of the students were harmed during the witches' attack. However, they've done quite a number on the school."

"No kidding. The place was in flames," snorted Nex, "if it wasn't for Aisha, this place would've been in worse shape."

"Speaking of flames, what kind of… _monster_ was Icy riding?" wondered aloud Musa, "I couldn't tell what it was. It looked like a freaky combination of different animals."

The headmistress sighed. "I know what the beast is," she admitted, frowning seriously. "It's a creature I hadn't encountered since I was a student here at Alfea." She nodded at Daphne.

Daphne took her place with the other staff members and opened the book she had been carrying. "It turns out the Trix have taken an interest in Wonderland, too," she began, flipping through the pages.

"Wait, what does Wonderland have to do with this?" asked Stella, crossing her arms.

"Because Icy's new creature is none other but a legendary Wonderlandian beast," responded Daphne, gesturing for the guys and girls to crowd around her. "And it's known as the Jabberwock." She stopped on a page of a hideous creature. It was identical to the one Icy had been riding on with its long tail, demon rabbit teeth, and furry, scaly body.

"The Jabberwock," repeated Roxy, "that's a monster from a fictional Earth poem."

"I knew the Legendarium had something to do with this," frowned Bloom.

Daphne nodded. "The Jabberwock, like Wonderland, is full of wild magic. And since that kind of magic no longer flows through Magix, the Jabberwock's power is even stronger here since there is none other magic like its own."

"So how do we take it down? Does your book say anything about that?" asked Thoren.

"As a beast of wild power, the Jabberwock is immune to all types of magic," explained Daphne, "in fact, there's only _one_ way to stop it. The vorpal sword."

"The vorpal sword?" Brandon raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like any type of sword we learned about back at Red Fountain."

"That's because there's only one," went on Daphne, turning the page. "In the poem, the Jabberwock could only be killed by this one sword. No other blade could pierce its skin but the one of vorpal."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's fine this sword and slay the dragon," urged Nex adventurously.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," spoke up Palladium, rubbing his chin and turning his back to the young people.

"There's always a catch," groaned Stella, rolling her eyes.

"The vorpal sword is currently in Wonderland, where it originated," informed Daphne, "and we currently don't have the means necessary to get there. With Alfea's protective shield up, we can't travel to Earth to look for the rabbit holes, and all the normal portals leading to Wonderland are all sealed because of the Wonderland curse."

"Not all of them," spoke up Faragonda, looking even more serious than before. "There's still one we have access to."

Stella's mouth dropped open. "You're just telling us this _now_?"

Faragonda nodded. "Though it can be reactivated, using the portal itself will be very risky."

"Risky how, exactly?" mused Tecna.

"Yeah. And where is this portal, anyway?" added Aisha, putting a hand on her hip.

Faragonda took a deep breath as if preparing herself. "As you all know, Alfea is connected to the other magic schools," she began.

"Wait, I thought it was only linked to the other two schools of Magix," piped up Flora, "Cloud Tower and Red Fountain."

Faragonda shook her head. "We are linked to a third and it is located in Wonderland. Wonderland High was its name, I believe. I haven't visited there since I was a student. Wonderland High is rich with wild, pure magic. By linking Alfea with Wonderland High, magic from both schools were able to flow into each other. But that changed when Wonderland was cursed. So the curse wouldn't flow into the rest of Magix, all Wonderlandian portals were sealed. Including the one connecting Alfea to Wonderland High. Reopening it would allow the curse to flow into Alfea and into Magix."

"Not if we don't leave it open for long," said Bloom suggestively, "we activate it just long enough for some of us to walk through, then close it right after."

"Is that a good idea? How would you get back?" pointed out Musa unsurely.

"I don't really know," admitted Bloom, "but we _need_ that sword, or else Alfea will be at the mercy of the Trix. We can't just stand around and let that happen." The Specialists, Paladins, and the rest of the Winx exchanged looks and nodded.

"It's worth a shot," agreed Sky, "but the only question is, who's going and who's staying? Most of us need to stay here just in case the witches try their luck again."

Bloom nodded. "That's a good idea. Since this journey could be dangerous, _I'm_ going. I can't endanger nay of you."

"Not so fast! I'm going, too," said Stella, rushing up to Bloom's side. "I can't let you go all by yourself. What kind of bestie would I be?"

"You might run into some problems along the way," considered Tecna, "my logic could come in handy."

"I'm not missing out on adventure like this," spoke up Nex, "I'm coming, too. It beats being coped up in here all day."

"Hold on a minute, Nex. This is serious," lectured Roy, "you just can't-"

"No, Nex is actually one of the best candidates," explained Tecna logically, "he's the quickest on his feet and one of the strongest." Nex smirked at Roy tauntingly.

"Then it's settled," announced Faragonda, "first for the first time in nearly a decade, Alfea and Wonderland High will once again share the same link." She looked at Bloom. "I wish you and your team good luck, for Wonderland is not your average realm. It took me a while to realize this, but always expect the unexpected in Wonderland. It's the only true way to achieve your objective."


	5. It's Time to Reverse This Curse!

I think I should trying writing a few chapters as a transcript. I think that'll be fun, and I love trying new things with my fanfiction. Anyway, so I won't confuse you, I wrote Brooke in italics so you guys wouldn't confuse her with the other narrator. NOW, I also italicized thoughts. So you guys won't confuse Brooke's speech with a character's thoughts, Brooke's speech stands alone in a new paragraph.

Don't forget to read and review! I appreciate all your feedback. It really encourages me to keep writing. To all you who haven't watched Ever After High or _Way too Wonderland,_ this chapter will really help you.

 **~O~**

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

Apple White took her place on the balcony that overlooked Ever After High's cafeteria. "Um, excuse me," she called gently after clearing her throat. No one appeared to hear her; they continued chatting with each other and eating the glop on their plates the cafeteria ladies called food. "Excuse me!" repeated Apple in a near shout. No one seemed to hear her _again._ Apple opened her mouth so hut, but whistled instead. _That_ got everyone's attention. Tiny the Giant dropped his giant-sized pancakes on the floor, Cerise Hood stopped tugging roughly on her steak, and Dexter Charming accidentally flung his cereal in his brother Daring's hair.

"My hair!" whined Daring, holding his hand mirror up to his face and staring at his reflection with distress.

Now that everyone was looking up at Apple, the girl made her announcement. "As editor of the _Griffin,_ our beloved school paper, I am pleased to announce I'm doing a special feature. And the theme is a time of wonder. It'll feature stories about Wonderland and all the students from Wonderland who are here now." She smiled down towards the Wonderlandians' table. Alistair Wonderland, Alice's son, Madeline Hatter, the Mad Hatter's daughter, and Bunny Blanc, the White Rabbit's daughter, nodded their approval at Apple as they ate their breakfast. They along with Kitty Cheshire and Lizzie Hearts were Ever After High's Wonderlandian students who couldn't go back to their homeland of Wonderland due to its curse.

"I think Apple's idea is _awesome_ ," said Faybelle Thorn, appearing beside the Wonderlandians' table with her pom poms in hand.

Apple giggled. "Thanks Faybelle," she smiled. She then put a shocked expression. "Wait, you do?" she asked in surprise. As the daughter of the Dark Fairy that cursed Sleeping Beauty, Faybelle was one of the most devious students at school. It wasn't like her to compliment with or agree another student.

"Sure!" The cheerhexer dropped her pom poms and flew up to the balcony. She stopped fluttering her wings and sat down on the railing beside Apple. "'Cuz it'll give you a chance to rehash how these blunderland brats got stuck here in the past place thanks to Raven's mom, the Evil Queen!" She took out her Mirrorpad and pulled up a video of the mirror the Evil Queen was imprisoned in. An evil voice emerged from the mirror, scaring and startling the other students. Melody Piper, the music-obsessed daughter of the Pied Piper, removed her headphones and her mouth dropped open, the future Three Billy Goats Gruff squeaked and ran away in terror, and even the fearless Cerise Hood whimpered.

"I cannot tell a lie. That lady scares the shavings off of me," shivered Cedar Wood, Pinocchio's daughter, hugging her wooden body. She was sitting at a table with Raven Queen, eating her complete breakfast of acorns and porridge. The goats bleated in peril.

"Hey! That's not fair," protested Raven, standing up and rushing to the front of the cafeteria. "It's not my mom's fault Wonderland's sealed off from Ever After! Okay, maybe she did poison Wonderland's magic and sure, because of her Wonderland's is even topsy-turvier than ever."Raven wasn't stopping there. "And yeah, thanks to her the Queen of Hearts is a total wackcoo screwball-" She stopped there and her hand flew up to her mouth as everyone gasped. "Oops," she said apologetically, looking towards Lizzie Heart's table in the corner.

The Queen of Heart's daughter was sitting by herself, sighing at a heart-shaped locket she was holding. "Um, hello?" Faybelle flew down and landed beside Lizzie's table. "Raven just, like, totally insulted your mom."

"Sorry, Lizzie," apologized Raven, "I was just trying to say that if you're looking for someone to blame, blame Headmaster Grimm! He's always like, 'you must follow your own story' and 'let's trap the Evil Queen in a mirror forever." She laughed nervously. "Am I right?" What she was not aware of was that Headmaster Milton Grimm, the head of Ever After High, was standing right behind her.

"He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" asked Raven, dropping her shoulders as she noticed the other students' warning looks.

"You're correct and you may be seated," ordered Headmaster Grimm in his authoritative tone, clasping his hands behind his back. Raven chuckled nervously and hurried away. Grimm looked around at the cafeteria. "As for the rest of you, understand this: the Wonderland curse is _dangerous._ No one is allowed to have contact with that world for _any_ reason. It has been sealed off for your own good." He turned around to leave, and Apple hurried after him.

"Actually, Headmaster, as the editor of the _Griffin,_ I was meaning to ask you about the curse and what exactly is-"

"Enough!" The headmaster paused in front of the door and looked down at the blond. "The worlds must remain separate and that is all you need to know." He stiffened and walked out of the cafeteria as the bell rang. "Now, off to your classes," he called before disappearing down the hall.

Apple, who had great respect for Milton Grimm, didn't seem bothered by the headmaster's harshness. "Hey, everyone! I need volunteers for the story, so if you're interested, meet me in the study hall after class," she called as the other students threw away their remaining food and started for their classes.

Little did she know was that after class, she and a few others were going to embark on an epic adventure.

 **~O~**

"Hey Apple," greeted Raven, setting down her schoolbag as she took her spot beside Apple at their shared work station. "I'm really sorry I messed up your speech," she apologized as the other students entered the science and sorcery classroom.

"Oh, don't worry about it," smiled Apple, "I just wanna learn more about the Wonderland curse. I mean, why does Headmaster Grimm-"

"Quiet in class!" shouted the imp Professor Rumpelstiltskin, hopping on his desk. "Pop quiz on chapter three! If you fail, DETENTION!" he declared, holding up a flask and test tube. His students gasped. "Now prepare to mix!"

Raven looked nervously at Apple, who was putting on her laboratory gear. "I didn't read chapter three," panicked Raven as Apple confidently put on her second rubber glove.

"Oh, don't worry. It's just an extension of everything we covered in chapter two," smiled Apple assuringly.

"But that was last week, right?"

"Five parts three o two s o four," recited the professor, pouring and stirring things into his large cauldron, "8 part pixie dust to begin reaction…..Heat. Cool! Add seven parts wolf bane. Separate, remix, reverse procedure! Add isotope of five u seven, no, _four_ u seven. " Raven looked around at her classmates desperately as they attempted the complex potion. Kitty's and her partner's potion was aflame with purple fire, Melody's and Briar Beauty's exploded in their face, and C.A Cupid's and Dexter's concoction detonated on Dexter, turning him into a sheep. Everyone seemed to be having problems with the assignment. Well, everyone but Apple.

"I don't see how you make it look so easy, Apple," observed raven as her lab partner effortlessly mixed different ingredients into her flask as the professor continued to madly and quickly shout the instructions. "I can barely keep up with him."

"If you know the formulas and mohexular valances cross referenced with the periodic table, well then it's just logic," explained Apple, pouring a blue liquid into her flask and then brushing pixie dust out of her hand and into the mix. She proudly put her hands on her hips as her potion began to glow. Every stopped whatever chaos they were doing and looked up in awe as wisp of yellow magic emerged from Apple's flask and transformed into a giant yellow and red butterfly above Raven's and Apple's head.

"Good job, Apple White," congratulated the professor uncharacteristically, "I give you A." He then cleared his throat. "B+," he corrected himself.

"Oh! _That's_ what we're trying to do!" exclaimed Raven, looking up at Apple's work of art.

"Raven Queen, what is result?" asked the professor slyly, hopping onto their work table. He smiled grimly, knowing Raven had no idea how to do what Apple just did.

Raven startled as another student's concoction blew up. "I'm green stuff! Yeah," she said nervously, pouring a lot of green liquid into her empty flask. "Oh, and orange stuff," she added quickly, adding an orange liquid into the green stuff, making the mixture purple. "Oh, and then some purple stuff." She sprinkled in some powdery purple stuff. She looked around for another random thing to add into the mix. "Let me see what else we have—yes! Fuzzy stuff!" She ripped some of the fuzzy fabric off the professor's tall black hat and dropped it into her potion. Raven covered her face as the odd brew exploded into a puff of sparkly purpleness.

"I did it!" gasped Raven proudly, looking up as the cloud of dust shaped into a purple butterfly like Apple's.

The professor, who desperately wanted to fail Raven, hissed. "Correct," he glowered, hopping down off the table and waddling over to a different work station.

 _Okay, so Apple's good at logic stuff and Raven's good at artsy-improvisation, creative stuff and we're learning around this ….why? What about the Queen of Hearts, and Wonderland and-_

Brooke, what did I say about interrupting my narration? As a future Narrator, you cannot get off topic like this. You need to be patient. Everything happens all in good time. Now, to get back to the other half of this story-

* * *

 **ღ** Someplace completely unknown to the heroines and hero **ღ**

"Um…where are we?" asked Stella thoughtfully as she, Bloom, Nex, and Tecna progressed down a narrow hallway. "I thought the portal was supposed to take us directly to Wonderland High." They were traveling down some kind of odd underground corridor. "And what's with the weird décor?" The corridor's checkered walls were constantly changing colors, while fishes and other ocean creatures swam in the water under the transparent glass floor. Rows of lit candles aligned the walls, their colored fire switching to differing colors every few seconds.

"I think we might be under Wonderland High," considered Bloom, "since the portal we took was a tunnel underground Alfea."

"That could be a possibility," said Tecna, tapping on the screen of her technological device. "I'm trying to take a digital scan so I can download the floor plan of the rest of the building, but my phone can't seem to connect to a network. We might be too deep underground for my phone to receive any type of signal."

"I know one thing: we've been walking straight for about ten minutes now and we haven't gotten anywhere," noted Nex, looking up at the high checkered arch ceiling. He was leading the party of four, his weapon strapped to his back.

"Maybe we're lost," suggested Stella, suddenly stopping.

The others stopped as well. "We can't be lost. Alfea's tunnel led us here." Bloom frowned, "and according to the headmistress, Alfea and Wonderland High are linked via their underground passageways. We have to be in the right place."

"That or Alfea's tunnels are faulty." Stella crossed her arms and frowned. "Either way, _this_ tunnel is taking us nowhere. We're either missing something or there's another way." She looked around hopefully. "Ms. Faragonda _did_ say expect the unexpected, right?" The blond rested a hand against a wall. In response to her touch, a yellow and magenta rotated-triangle pattern replaced the checked scheme on all the walls. "Whoa. That's cool," giggled Stella.

"Oh, no! I'm late! Very late! This is not good, this is not good at all! I can't be late, I can't be late!" panicked a faint, echoey voice.

"Wait! Guys, you hear that?" asked Bloom quietly.

"I mustn't be late, mustn't be late! Pour time into the cauldron and escape through the gate! How the hour's in the crate, while the geese end up on the plate!" fretted the distressed, muffled voice.

"There's someone else down here with us," nodded Tecna lowly, her eyes glued to her phone's screen. "Let me run a heat signature test." She tapped on the device's touch screen a few times. "Besides our four, I'm detecting a fifth heat signature," she reported after a few moments, reading aloud the results. She pointed the device in the direction of which they came and then in the direction of where they were headed. "But it's odd. The signature isn't in either direction of the tunnel. In fact, it's coming from…." She pointed her phone at the wall Stella had her hand on. "The wall?"

Just then, the wall began to crack. "Um, is that supposed to happen?" asked Stella unsurely, backing away from the cracking wall. Nex drew his weapon cautiously.

 _Ooh, what happens next? Does a fire-breaking dragon emerge, or what about a vicious bandersnatch?_

Brooke, what did I just tell you? No interrupting. Now, can I **please** resume the story without you cutting in? This next part is very important.

 _*sigh* Sorry. I'll_ try _not to do it again._

Thank you. Now, back to the story.

"Get ready, guys," warned Bloom, jumping into a defensive stance. "Something's coming." Parts of the wall broke into small fragments, leaving behind a large hole in the wall.

"Oh dear, oh, dear! This isn't good at all!" worried a voice from inside the hole. The fretting got nearer and nearer until a small white rabbit hopped out of hole. He had white fur, and pink ears with locks of light gray hair combed neatly on the right side of his head. He sported gray eyebrows and a gray nose, buck teeth and lavender-purple irises. The small rabbit wore a white waistcoat decorated with pink and purple heart, spades and diamond patterns underneath his gray jacket along with an ombre black-to-blue bow tie with a small copper-colored clock centered in it, and gray gloves.

The small rabbit took out a pocket watch. "She will not be happy, not happy at all!" he panicked, hopping in place frantically. Seeing it was just a harmless bunny rabbit, Nex returned his weapon to its scabbard on his back.

"Um, excuse me." Bloom bent down to the rabbit's eye level.

The rabbit looked up at Bloom, shaking with worry. "Classes are about to start any minute! You cannot be late, or _she_ will be angry! Quite angry indeed!" exclaimed the rabbit nervously.

"Wait, we're not-"

"This way, this way! You can't be late, can't be late!" worried the rabbit nervously, hopping towards the other wall. Just then, a square-shaped hole appeared in its surface. And with that, the tiny rabbit hopped into the hole, disappearing into the darkness.

"So, do we follow him?" asked Stella, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"This way, this way!" repeated the rabbit's resonating voice from inside the hole.

"To be honest, I don't think we have a choice," said Bloom matter-of-factly, "let's hurry before we lose him!" And with that, she ran in after the rabbit. Nex, Stella, and Tecna exchanged odd looks before going in after her.

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

"Coming throoooouughhhh!" called Briar Beauty as she skateboarded through the halls of Ever After High. She easily maneuvered past the crowds of students, her hair flowing behind her. It was lunchtime and Briar was going to live her break to the fullest. As Sleeping Beauty's daughter, it was Briar's destiny to one day fall for asleep for a hundred years just like her mother. Thus, she planned to live up every second before that happened. _If_ it happened.

The princess stirred around a corner, whizzing by the other students with thrilling speed. She was enjoying herself so much, she almost didn't hear the voice calling out to her from behind. "Miss Beauty! Miss Beauty, may I have a word?" called Headmaster Grimm's all too familiar voice. Briar heel braked as the headmaster sped walked over to her.

"Um, hey headmaster," greeted Briar with an awkward wave as the man's towered over her, wearing his usual stern and authoritative face.

"Good afternoon, Miss Beauty. I'm glad I caught you at the right time." He began to stroke his graying beard. "It has come to the attention of your teachers that you're sleeping in class. I am aware that you are Sleeping Beauty's daughter and that….supernatural sleeping runs in the family, but I suggest you at least try to stay awake in class. The material being taught will greatly prepare you for your destiny as the next Sleeping Beauty. You _do_ want to be thoroughly prepared for your destiny when it is time for you to sign the Storybook of Legends, do you not?"

Briar cringed. She knew neither she nor any of her classmates would be signing the Storybook of Legends any time soon. As a second year student, Briar and her classmates were to sign their names in the Storybook of Legends and pledge to relive their parent's fairytale. But Legacy Day, the extremely important event in which all this would take place, got canceled after Raven Queen refused to sign her page of the Book. A little while after, it actually came out that the Storybook Raven had refused to sign actually wasn't the real Storybook of Legends at all; the Evil Queen had stolen the real one while she was a student at Ever After High and replaced it with a fake Book. And though she still hadn't told anyone until this day, Briar had actually found the REAL Storybook hidden under the floor in her dorm room not long ago.

At that time, Briar had just realized the tragedy in having to sleep for a hundred years. She'd lose all of her dear friends and family, and miss out on all their spellbinding parties. She'd basically be sleeping her life away! How could she ever agree to live a life like that? And so, when Briar found the real Storybook, instead of informing everyone of her 'miraculous' discovery, she actually fled to the Enchanted Forest and dropped the Book down the old wishing well. Ever since then, getting rid of the Storybook was one of her biggest, darkest secrets.

The princess didn't know if her decision was wise or selfish. Half of the students at school were anxious to sign the Storybook of Legends, while the other half didn't want anything to do with it. Thus, Briar had no idea if purging Ever After High of the sacred tome was a good riddance or a horrible mistake. It wasn't like it mattered now anyway. The old wishing had disappeared the second the Storybook of Legends dropped into it.

But of course, Briar couldn't tell the headmaster about this. He was the biggest stickler for the rules and would probably expel her if he knew about her actions. "Um, yeah," lied Briar quickly, "hey, I gotta go meet some friends now. Can't keep them waiting. It was nice talking to you."

Briar quickly dropped her skateboard and took off down the hall. _Whew. That was a close one_ , she thought to herself as she rode into the cafeteria. "Hey, guys!" she called over to her friends, tucking her board under her armpit and starting over to Raven, Maddie Hatter, Alistair Wonderland, and Bunny Blanc.

"Ooh, Briar! You're just in time for Raven's demonstration," giggled Maddie, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"Demonstration?" repeated Briar, raising an eyebrow at Raven.

"I'm gonna try my luck at my magic," responded Raven confidently, "who knows? Maybe it'll actually _work_ this time." As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven possessed dark magic. However, Raven wasn't evil. Whenever she attempted to use her black magic for good purposes, it always backfired on her. Thus, she often avoided using her magic, making her kind of inexperienced with it. "We're all going to Apple's meeting in the study hall, so I'm gonna try a transportation spell. Can't be that hard, right?"

"That's what you say _every_ time you use magic," pointed out Bunny with a smile, "and look how they always turn out."

"I know, I know. But this time will be different," assured Raven.

"What the hex? I'm game," said Briar as she and the others took their places beside Raven.

"Okay! To the study hall!" declared Raven, pointing her finger up confidently. Their bodies exploded into purple magic and with a _poof,_ they appeared atop a tall wall outside the school.

"This doesn't look like the study hall to me," giggled Maddie as Humphrey Dumpty startled at their sudden appearance and fell backwards off the wall.

"I'm okay," he assured weakly from the ground.

"To the study hall," declared Raven again with a little less confidence. They disappeared again and transported to Beanstalk Bakery.

The two girls sitting at a nearby table were playing some kind of card game. "Would you rather live in a posh castle, or inside a delicious gingerbread house?" one of the girls was quizzing the other.

"Ooh, that's easy! Gingerbread house any day of the week," replied Maddie, reaching over and taking a card from the second girl's hand and laying it on the table. Briar pulled Maddie back towards her as Raven made another attempt.

"To the study hall," she said with an unsure look on her face. They reappeared back in the cafeteria. "Ugh! This is exactly where we started," she said with frustration.

Dexter Charming, who was startled by their sudden appearance, accidentally flung his lunch on his brother Daring. "Oh, come on!" whined Daring, holding his hand mirror up to his face and looking at his ruined reflection.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get it. Try again," uplifted Alistair, squeezing Raven's shoulder encouraging.

Raven nodded and took a deep breath. "To the study hall!" she declared again.

 **~O~**

 _Ugh. When are we going to get to the exciting stuff?_

Patience, Brooke. As I said earlier, everything happens all in good time. Now, Apple White is holding a planning meeting during lunch.

Apple happily walked into the study hall, sat down at the heavy oak desk in the front of the room, and set down her books. "I, Apple White, hereby plan this planning meeting to order," she announced, beating the gravel against the desk. She then took a quill into one hand and laid out a sheet of paper with the other. "Please state your name for the record…" She trailed off as her eyes drifted around the empty classroom. Well, it _would_ be empty if it wasn't for Darling sitting at the table at the end of the front-row of desks.

"Um, Darling Charming," she piped up with a tiny wave.

"Okay…only one person showed up, but we'll make it work. Thanks for coming, Darling." Apple copied the princess's name onto her parchment. "Is there some special interest you have in Wonderland?"

"Oh…ah…you know. You isn't interested in Wonderland?" asked Darling softly with a shrug and smile. "Especially what secrets it might hold," she added in a sort of adventurous way. She then gasped at her error. "Not that I like secrets or anything," she clarified quickly, "or have any." She laughed shortly and began to play with her hands nervously.

Apple raised an eyebrow and then copied down the girl's response. "Well, I'm happy to have your help," she said, "now, since it's just the two of us-" The door opened and in walked Lizzie Hearts. "Oh, Lizzie! Glad you could make it," said Apple excitedly as the Princess of Hearts slammed the door behind her.

"Apple, I'm so sorry, but even talking about Wonderland is difficult for me right now," said Lizzie apologetically and sadly, taking a seat at a back table by the window. She sighed and looked down at her desk, resting her face on her hands.

"Oh, well that's okay Lizzie. We don't have to-"

"See, today is my mother's birthday," went on Lizzie gloomily.

"Oh, but that's wonderful," smiled Darling as she and Apple stood up and walked over to Lizzie's desk.

"Not really. She sent me an invitation." Lizzie handed a scroll to Apple.

Apple unrolled it, revealing a beautiful invitation decorated with flamingos and playing cards. A pair of blood-red lips appeared in its center. "Your presence is requested at the queen's birthday bash," said the lips in an accent similar to Lizzie's, "yes, it has been far too long and I cannot wait to bask in your presence. PS: Don't forget the presents!"

"Your mom sure does love presents," commented Apple with a tiny laugh.

"I would so love to be there to help her spellebrate," informed Lizzie, "but with the entrance sealed, I can never go home."

Darling and Apple exchanged sad looks. "I'm sorry. That must be so difficult," said Apple softly, resting a hand over her heart. She gasped as something snatched the invitation away from her and laughed.

"Ha! An invisibility spell!" declared Faybelle, poofing into visibility above the desks. "Booyah." She flew in between Apple and Darling. "Sorry, but I had to pull the breaks on that sob story." She landed in front of Lizzie's desk. "We were only one pun away from water works, and I don't think the foundation is flood proof."Lizzie took her mother's invitation from Faybelle, but the dark fairy just snatched it back. "So little Miss I Heart Wonderland wants to go home and see her mommy?" taunted Faybelle. She shoved the parchment back at Lizzie. "Sounds like you need the help of a dark fairy." She fluttered over to the front desk, used her blue magic to push aside Apple's books off the desk into the trash bin, and sat down on it. "Yep. You need some pretty powerful magic to get to Wonderland," she said as Apple hurried over to the trashcan to reclaim her things, "and clearly, I'm the most powerful one here who can-" She stopped as swirling purple magic began to conjure around her and wrap around the desk. It eventually cleared away, revealing five new figures.

"Yes! I got us to the study hall!" exclaimed Raven, who was now sitting on top of Faybelle. Briar was sitting beside Raven with her legs crossed, Bunny was in her bunny form on top of Faybelle's head, Maddie was hanging upside from the tree near the door, and Alistair was cramped on the lower balcony by the front desk.

"You guys came!" exclaimed Apple, pressing her books against her chest.

"Sorry we're late, Apple," said Raven apologetically and with a smile. She then noticed that she was sitting on Faybelle's backside. "Oh and sorry I smashed you, Faybelle," added Raven, noticing the dark fairy's angry and annoyed look. She laughed nervously and got off Faybelle. "I'm still getting used to this whole magic spell thing."

Faybelle began to sit up, but was just forced back down when Bunny poofed into her person form, landing on the dark fairy's back where Raven had been. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it," she assured Raven.

"Get. Off. Me," growled Faybelle.

"Oops. Sorry Faybelle," apologized Bunny with a sweet smile, quickly slipping off the dark fairy.

"Has the meeting started yet?" asked Alistair, hopping down from the balcony and landing beside Apple.

Maddie giggled. "Of course it hasn't," she said, taking a teacup out of her pocket and setting it on the front desk. "You can't start a meeting until you've had tea," she said matter-of-factly, pulling a teakettle out of her other pocket. She then gasped as she remembered something. "Oh, but you can't have tea without scones," she added, setting own the kettle and pulling a tea stand of scones out of its top. "And you can't eat a scone without jam." She took a bottle of jam out of thin air. "Oh, and I would never eat jam without butter!" Earl Grey, her pet mouse, stuck his head and out Maddie's tiny hat and tossed out a stick of butter into Maddie's hands. "And that reminds you! You can't spread the butter without a -"

 _Ugh! I can't take it anymore! Freeze!"_

 **~O~**

 _Freeze!_

Maddie Hatter gasped in wonder as the others around her became frozen. The Narrators were at it once again! "Hi!" she called up at the sky, "I don't recognize that voice. Is that the new Narrator?" she asked thoughtfully. As the daughter of the Mad Hatter, Maddie was…well…mad. She was the only student at Ever After High who could hear the Narrators, the very people who narrated the story. "How's it going?"

Brooke, not one more word.

 _Mom, I'm sorry, but I can't be quiet! Not when we both know what's happening. Maddie, Lizzie needs to know! Her mother, the Queen of Hearts, is in_ _ **danger**_ _! Someone is trying to overthrow her mother and steal the throne._ _ **Today**_ _! If you don't stop this horrible plot-_

"I could be-" Maddie gasped with realization. "Off with her head."

* * *

 **ღ** Someplace _still_ unknown the other party of heroines and hero **ღ**

"Okay, this place keeps getting weirder and weirder," commented Stella as the four walked into a completely checkered space. "What is this place?"

"No time for chatter, our current position does not matter," fretted the rabbit, hopping in place as he took a look at his pocket watch. "We mustn't be late, or this will be our final date."

"Um, Mr. White Rabbit, sir?" Bloom bent down to the rabbit's level. "What exactly are we late for? You keep mentioning the time and looking at your watch. Is someone waiting for us?"

"Yes, and where are you leading us?" added Tecna, "it seems like we've been traveling through these elaborate passageways for hours now."

"Time isn't time, though time is definitely time," replied the White Rabbit, looking up at Tecna with worried eyes. "Place of time is not time, while time of place is time indeed. We must hurry through between, or else our sentence will be extreme." The rabbit gestured towards the four to follow him before he took off again.

"Alright, I am serious getting tired of this." Nex crossed his arms in annoyance. "He's leading us nowhere. We can find the way to the surface ourselves."

One of the black spaces on the wall expanded into a doorway. "This way, this way! Or the eagle's cry will delay our day!" urged the White Rabbit before hopping through the doorway.

"Let's face facts. We have no idea where we are or where we're going. It's only logical to follow the one who actually has the sense of direction," reasoned Tecna, "and besides, my phone still can't pick up a signal."

Stella groaned. "Not more running," she groaned as the other three ran after the rabbit, "hey guys! Don't leave me!" She quickly followed them through the door and into another room. As soon as she walked through the doorway, she fell into a deep hole. "EEKKKKK!" she screamed as she dropped into the darkness. She squeezed her eyes shut as she descended down the hole. She hugged her body and thought about all the good times that happened to her in life as she dropped closer and closer to her doom. _Goodbye, Brandon. Goodbye Mom, Dad, Bloom, Flora, Tecna, Aisha-_

Her thoughts were interrupted as she landed _in_ something with a _splash_ instead of _on_ something a _splat._ Confused about why she was still alive, Stella's eyes popped open. She was now surrounded by vast wet blueness. Stella raised an eyebrow as a school of spade-shaped fish swam by. She was under water? But how?

Bloom? Where were Bloom and the others? Still holding her breath, Stella desperately looked around. There was no sign of anything else but ocean life. _Bloom? Tecna? Nex?!_ Panic began to rise inside of the blond as it became harder to hold her breath. She wasn't going to last much longer without air. Swim! She had to swim! Stella began to wave her arms frantically and kick her feet madly.

But instead of swimming, the girl began to sink. _No, no, no, no, no, NO!_ She began ton inwardly panic. _WHY am I sinking?_ She would've eventually sunk to the ocean floor if it wasn't for the red-armored arm that reached in and grabbed her shoulder. _Huh?_ Stella gasped as the arm yanked her up. The girl began to choke as sweet air filled her nose and lungs.

"Stella, are you all right?" asked Bloom's concerned voice.

Still wheezing for air, Stella looked up and at her new surroundings. She was now crouching by a sparkling pool inside some sort of dark illusional room. The spiraling black and white walls looked like they were moving, while the pattern on the floor was zigzagging. "You okay?" asked Nex, bending down beside Stella. His red armor was glistening with water and his navy-blue hair was drenched.

Made Stella finally caught her breath, she nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for saving me." She slowly stood up. "Where are we now? And where's our furry buck-toothed guide?"

Bloom hugged her body and shivered as water dripped off her chin. "I-I-I don't know," she said, her teeth chattering. "T-Tecna c-c-can you d-d-detect h-his h-heat si-signature?"

"Heat would be _really_ helpful right now," quivered Stella, "I'm f-f-freezing n-n-now."

Tecna took her phone out of her pocket. "I-It's dead," she frowned, "t-the water m-must've d-d-damaged i-it's –h-hard d-drive."

Just as she finished saying this, _another_ doorway in the shape of a mouth spawned on one of the walls and out hopped the White Rabbit. "Alright, I-I-I've had enough." Stella gritted her teeth and stormed over to the rabbit. "Look, we're all tired of this wild goose chase. Would you just _please_ take us up to Wonderland High?"

"You might not understand, but we're here on a mission," explained Bloom, appearing at Stella's side. "We came here to Wonderland in search of something that'll save our school. We can't afford to waste time."

The White Rabbit bobbed his head repeatedly. "I am aware of this, aware of this indeed," he said quickly and shakily, "and in time, the deed shall proceed. But for now, you focus on the prophecy! Hurry, hurry!" He turned around and hopped back through the mouth-shaped doorway.

"Wait? Is he saying we have to _wait_ to find the vorpal sword?" asked Tecna with a frown.

"And what prophecy?" Nex wrinkled his nose.

"Maybe we're here for another reason," suggested Bloom, "maybe our help is needed here, too."

"And let me guess. We're gonna follow the nutcase. _Again_ ," scowled Nex.

Bloom nodded. "You guys might not understand, but I have a feeling deep in my heart that all this is happening for a reason. That destiny brought us here to accomplish something else. I don't know what it is yet, but whatever it is, the future of Wonderland _and_ Alfea depends on it."

 _And Bloom had no idea just how right she was._

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

"If my mother is in danger, well, we-"

"Don't worry, Lizzie," interrupted Alistair, putting on his serious/determined face. "We'll figure out a way to help her." Everyone was still in the study hall, shocked by the information Maddie had just shared with them.

"But how if we can't even get back to Wonderland?" asked Bunny.

"There's gotta be some way. A weak spot or-or a secret we don't know about," said Raven quickly.

 _More like secrets._

Brooke!

 _Sorry._

"Maybe we should look at what's been written about Wonderland before," suggested Darling, " I mean, we're surrounded by old research! Aren't we?"

"Everyone, grab a book,' said Raven, reaching for a book on a shelf. "Look for whatever you can find about Wonderland. Or, how to get back—anything!"

"Hmph. Typical," snorted Faybelle angrily, grabbing a nearby book off the desk.

 _Too bad they don't have Professor Daphne. She's a pro at this sort of stuff._

Brooke, that is enough.

And so, the students went on a search for books giving them clues. Bunny found a giant book and started reading it while Alistair struggled to read a freakishly little one; Darling started dropping useful books from above a ladder while Apple caught them. They continued to look for information until they were surrounded by high stacks of thick tomes.

"Well, here's an interesting fact," she spoke up, reading from a book. "Maddie, is it true school in Wonderland is only held one day a year?"

Maddie, who was sitting cross-legged on the front desk, nodded. "Yeah. But we have to cram a lot-a lot- a lot-a lot- a lot of study into that one day."

"It was a great place to live," said Alistair, who was sitting cross-legged beside Bunny with a book in hand. He smiled faintly at the remembrance of his homeland.

"And your mom really is a good queen, Lizzie," said Bunny, standing up and walking over to the gloomy Princess of Hearts. "I think the curse just kinda stressed her out," she said, resting a hand on the princess's shoulder.

"Thanks, Bunny. It really must be so hard for her all alone, with a whole queendom to take care of."

"I'm sorry Lizzie." Raven was carrying a stack of books and then put them on a desk. "Despite what I said in the cafeteria, this really is my mom's fault. I almost wish she was around. I could reason with her—she'd be powerful enough to open the worlds again."

 _Whoa, whoa whoa. Hashtag I didn't do my homework. So, what exactly happened to the Evil Queen?_

"sigh* Brooke, do you realize every time you interrupt, the story pauses? Well, I guess your interruption is for a good reason this time. As a future Narrator, you will need to know this information. The Evil Queen wanted to bring all the worlds under her evil spell, so she casted a dark spell on Wonderland. This brief flashback will explain everything.

* * *

 **-** A Flashback only the Two Narrators Can See **-**

 ***the Evil Queen is standing atop a hill in Wonderland, conjuring magic with her staff* "From good to bad, from bad to worse. On Wonderland, I cast this curse!" she chanted. *points the staff up at the sky and her dark magic flows from the staff and spirals up in the sky***

Some of the Wonderlandians managed to escape the confusion and few were lucky to end up in Ever After. Upon hearing of the Evil Queen's plan, Giles Grimm, his brother Milton, and Baga Yaga took action.

 ***scene changes to Milton, Giles, and Baga Yaga, who are at Ever After High on a dark stormy night, reading spell books and making plans to defeat the Evil Queen***

They were fortunate enough to find a spell that would stop the Evil Queen for good.

 ***scene changes back to Evil Queen, who is still poisoning Wonderland. A green portal opens up beside her, revealing the Grimm brothers and Baba Yaga on the other side.* "** **We cast this spell out to protect," chanted Grimm, reading from a book, "while upon your deeds you shall reflect. You've failed this world to overwhelm, and are cast into the Mirror Realm!" *all three good-doers cast green magic through the portal and at the Evil Queen***

" **NO!" shouted the Evil Queen. *The green magic pulls her throw the portal and into a mirror beside Grimm's desk* "Let me out! LET ME OUT!" she yelled from behind the mirror's glass.**

Thus, the Evil Queen was imprisoned in the Mirror Realm; doomed to walk the mysterious space between the real world and our reflections forevermore.

 ***Baga Yaga and the Grimm brothers exchange fist bumps and then look at the mirror of which they imprisoned the Evil Queen***

 _So, she's trapped behind a mirror?_

All mirrors.

* * *

 **-** The Present **-**

 **ღ** The Dark, Empty Dimension of the Mirror Realm **ღ**

While Raven and her friends were searching for information about Wonderland, little did they know that the Evil Queen was watching them from behind the mirror against the wall in the study hall.

"Ah. My darling daughter and all her little friends," said the Evil Queen, pressing her hands against the looking glass. Perhaps there's a way to use this crisis to lead her down my path." Yes, she knew all about Raven and her decision to be good instead of evil. The Mirror Realm was full of looking glasses that existed behind _all_ mirrors. Thus, she had been able to spy on the students of Ever After High during Legacy Day from behind the glass of a mirror that had been positioned nearby. "You want to go to Wonderland, my dear?" she chuckled, "well, here's a helpful nudge from your mummy." And from behind the mirror, she used her dark magic to push a book off a bookshelf in the study hall.

And with that, the Evil Queen laughed wickedly.

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

Raven looked up as a book fell off a nearby bookshelf. "Oh!" She went over to pick up the book, which was already opened to a page. The others excluding Faybelle crowded around Raven as she observed the page. It was decorated with a picture of Wonderland, heart and diamond patterns, and a white rabbit. Raven looked over at the other page and gasped at a picture of an imposing figure sitting on a throne in front of a mirror. "My mother," she said, narrowing her eyes. The others gasped.

"But, this book is about Wonderland. Why would it have a picture of the Evil Queen?" asked Maddie, looking uncharacteristically worried.

"Good question. Here, set it down," directed Apple, "I'll try my examination app." Raven set the book on a desk and Apple took out her Mirrorpad. "Scan photo," she said, tapping on a command. The Mirrorpad scanned the photo of the Evil Queen with a holographic ray. The exact image appeared onscreen of Apple's Mirrorpad. "She's got a book in her hand," she said, "I wonder if we can see what's in it. Move up and to the right," she ordered her device. It zoomed in on the right portion of the picture.

"Look! In the mirror," said Raven, pointing at the mirror behind her mother's throne.

"Zoom in on mirror," Apple commanded the device. It closed in on the mirror and the blurry reflection inside it. The reflection was of the Evil Queen's backside and the book she was reading.

"There's writing there," pointed out Bunny.

"Can anyone read it?" asked Alistair.

"Reverse image," directed Apple, sliding her finger across the screen. The image reversed. "Enhance," she added. The quality of the photo became clearer and the words on the pages of the Evil Queen's book became illegible.

Raven gasped and took the electronic tablet from Apple. "The Wonderland Curse!"

"Ohhhh! If we know the curse, you can reverse it!" pointed out Maddie with an excited smile.

"The curse will be broken, and Professor Grimm will remove it from the seal between our world and Wonderland!" added Apple as she, Bunny, Briar, Darling, Alistair, and Maddie put on hopeful faces.

"I don't know guys... I'm really still just getting the hang of my magical powers." Raven handed the Mirrorpad back to Apple. "

"But, you transported us here," reminded Apple.

"Yeah, but you have no idea how many tires it took for me to do _that_. Magic's not that easy."

Using her magical teleportation powers, Kitty materialized into the room. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late," she said.

"Except for some people," corrected Raven, "if I try reversing a spell like this, who knows what could happen."

"Oh brother. Step aside wannabevil," said Faybelle, pushing Raven aside. "I got this from here. You've just gotta do it backwards. Ready? Okay?" She began to hop in place and everyone watched hopefully. "Curse this cast on Wonderland…on. Worse—" Faybelle stopped short and transfigured into a sheep with wings. "What?" she shrieked after a baa, "this is all _your_ fault." She pointed a hoof at Raven. "I'm so outta here," she said, flying away.

"That's actually the second time I've seen that happen today," said Briar with her arms crossed.

"Never gets old, does it?" laughed Kitty, appearing beside her.

Raven! The Evil Queen's curse must have its own protective magic," said Darling logically, "only one of the Queen's family has the power to reverse it."

"Raven, you're destined to be the Evil Queen. It'll work for you," agreed with Apple.

"Apple…"

"Well, you sure are creative enough to figure it out," Briar smiled at Raven.

"That's the thing! Magic spells are a sort of a science as an art," said Raven, who was still unconvinced.

Lizzie hurried over to Raven's side. "It will work for you, Raven! I know it will!" She looked at Raven with pleading eyes as everyone else seconded their opinion.

Raven sighed. "Okay." She took the Mirrorpad from Apple. "Here goes." The others appeared by her side with supporting looks. Raven cleared her throat and began to chant the words on the mirror. "Curse this cast I Wonderland on; worse to bad and bad to good-" Purple foggy magic began to spiral around the room and the furniture and books began to fly around in the magic current. "-from cruel most fate a be shall yours so rule my defy dared have you!" After she finished reading the curse backwards, she looked up to see the levitating objects and magical fog. "Wait that's not right! I don't reverse this curse just by saying it backwards. Uhh, this is something different!

The fog grew bigger and began to encircle them. After a while, it eventually cleared away and all the books and furniture fell into a heap on the floor.

"Bunny!" coughed Alistair, pushing a chair off him and standing up. "Are you alright?"

Bunny nodded and stood up from the floor. "Yeah, but what about everyone else?" she asked, looking around to find that they and a huge mess were the only thing remaining in the library. Darling, Raven, Briar, Apple, Kitty, Maddie, and Lizzie were nowhere to be seen.


	6. Wonderland High

**I leave no detail untold!**

 **(P.S. – I'm gonna start adding my own twist to the plot AFTER the girls meet the Winx and Nex. Just to those who were wondering.)**

 **Don't forget to review! I'd really appreciate it!**

 **~O~**

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

"Finally! I think we made it!" exclaimed Stella as she, Bloom, Nex, and Tecna jogged up a flight of stairs and out into a hallway. "This is Wonderland High, right? It's….different." She and her friends looked around in awe as the White Rabbit stared at his pocket watch frantically. The polished floors and ceilings were checkered two different shades of purple, odd-shaped clocks hung on the multi-patterned walls, all the doorways were resembled playing cards and were shaped like hearts, diamonds, and spades, the lockers were designed like hearts and some were even placed upside down, and the floors ran up the walls and stretched across the ceilings.

"I knew it would be different. But not _this_ different," stated Bloom with a smile, waving at a pair of bizarrely dressed students.

"You're telling me. I mean, what's with everyone's fashion sense?" asked Stella, raising an eyebrow at a passing male student. The young man's hair was gelled up into some kind of heart-like hairstyle and was tied red, black, and blue. His jacket was lined with different faux furs and the design on his pants somehow changed colors like an illusion every time he took another step. It's so...so…. _mad_!"

"I think that's the point," said Bloom, stepping aside as a girl with green skin and an animate elephant walked by.

"So what's the plan now?" asked Nex.

"I guess now we leave and look for the vorpal sword," replied Bloom, putting a hand on her hip. She smiled down at the White Rabbit. "Thanks so much for your help. We would still be stuck in the underground passageways if it wasn't for you."

"Yeah, because those things are _impossible_ ," cracked Stella, who was still intrigued by their new surroundings.

"As a clock tells time, the nickel becomes the dime!" cried out the White Rabbit, stuffing his watch into his breast pocket.

"I'll take that as a you're welcome," giggled Bloom.

"Ya know, this is all actually inspiring me," mused Stella excitedly, "I can already see the new outfits I'm going to design! The theme? Wonderland! Who says clocks can't be worn as necklaces and teakettles as headpieces?"

"That's great, Stella, but it's time to focus on the task at hand," reminded Tecna, taking out her phone. She smiled. "My phone's working now! With the new app I downloaded, we should be able to find the vorpal sword _easily._ All I have to do is enter in its name, and the application will automatically lead us to it via its unique energy signature." She smiled wider. "Isn't technology wonderful?"

"Like time flies, the mole never dies!" declared the White Rabbit. A random hole opened up in the floor. The rabbit jumped into it, and the hole closed afterwards.

"Alright, everybody! Let's go have ourselves an adventure!" Stella attempted to proceed down the hallway, but lost balance and fell on her rump when the floor began to move by itself.

"Hm. Interesting. It appears to working like a conveyor belt," observed Tecna, stepping onto the moving flooring. "And defying the laws of physics," she added, watching a few students ride the floor up the wall and onto the ceiling.

"I don't know about you, but this _totally_ beats walking," said Stella matter-of-factly as they rode the floor through the twisting halls of Wonderland High. "I should convince Headmistress Faragonda to install these into Alfea. Talk about a lifesaver. Especially if you happen to be wearing high heels. During finals last term, I literally had to-"

"Does she ever stop talking?" asked Nex as Stella continued to go on and on.

"Usually," shrugged Bloom with a smile. The moving floor took them all the way outside the castle and onto the wonderlandiful campus. "I can see why Ms. Faragonda loved this place," said Bloom as they walked down the snaking purple-checkered walkway, "this place is amazing!" The school grounds was enclosed by a tall castle wall and consisted of many hedge mazes, bushes that were shaped like teakettles, chess pieces, and other crazy objects, huge, colorful plants and scrubs, and other random, peculiar objects that added on to the school's unique design. "It's too bad she had to stop coming here."

"And I'm guessing that's the reason," said Stella, stopping and pointing up at the pinkish-bluish sky.

"The Wonderland curse," said Bloom, narrowing her eyes at the dark cloud spiraling in the horizon.

"Whoa. It's huge," commented Nex.

"And very powerful," added Tecna, "according to my phone."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure Bloom can reverse the curse no sweat," assured Stella without worry, "nothing's more powerful than the Dragon Flame."

"We'll focus on the curse later. For now, we need to find the vorpal sword," reminded Nex, "so we can help the others back at Alfea. The shields can't last much longer."

Bloom nodded. "You're right. The faster we get this done, the sooner we can save Wonderland from the curse." They proceeded down the pathway, but stopped at the stone archway leading off school grounds when a pair of crossed swords suddenly appeared in their way.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" demanded Stella, glaring at the card soldiers who were holding the swords in their path.

"Halt!" commanded a voice. A knight in red, silver, black, and crimson armor rode up to them on his red animate chess-piece stead. "You are not permitted to leave school grounds," he said in a authoritative tone, pointing his sword at Bloom.

"Oh yeah? Who are you to tell us what to do?" growled Nex, reaching behind his shoulder for his weapon.

"Wait, hold on," Bloom said to Nex. She then looked up at the knight. "This is all a big misunderstanding."

"We aren't students here," explained Tecna quickly, "we just-"

"In order of Wonderland tradition and the principal, you are not allowed to leave school grounds until classes end," recited the knight, "I cannot authorize you to leave."

"What kind of school is this?" asked Stella, crossing her arms and glaring up at the knight. "For your information, we have somewhere we need to be. Like, _now._ It seriously can't wait."

The knight removed his helmet, revealing the face of a teenage boy with black-and-red hair and dark blue eyes. "I'm sorry, but the rules are the rules. Look, classes are about to start. All you have to do is complete the school day and then you can be on your way."

"What? But we're not students here!" Stella seemed outraged now. "Look, our friends are in _danger_ and we don't know how long they can last. So, whatever your name is,-"

"Chase. Chase Redford. The Red Knight and Wonderland High's attendance officer. Unless you have a hall pass-"

"Hall pass? How are we supposed to have one if we aren't students here?" Nex was obviously getting impatient.

"I don't want trouble. If you don't agree with the rules, I'll have no choice but to take you to detention. I don't want it to come to that, so I highly suggest you all just comply with the rules." Chase looked at them with what seemed to be pleading eyes.

Stella gritted her teeth. "Listen, _Chase,_ we don't want trouble either but-"

"Stella." Bloom glanced at Stella with a silencing look. She then looked up at Chase. "Fine. We'll go along with the rules. The four of us will complete the school day, and then we can leave, right?"

Chase exhaled in relief. "That is correct, according to the rules. After classes let out at three, you're all free to go. Now, if you'd allow me to escort you back to school…"

Bloom nodded. "Of course."

"Bloom? What are we doing?" whispered Stella as the four proceeded after Chase back towards the school. The two card soldiers were following behind them with their swords in hand. "We can't stay here. What about the vorpal sword?"

"It'll have to wait," Bloom whispered back, "we can't just violate the rules. We'll do whatever they need us to, and then we can leave." She looked up at the sky. "I don't know why, but I have a conch Wonderland High is where we need to be."

"But-"

"Just trust me on this one, Stella." Bloom couldn't explain it, but something deep in her heart was telling her that she and her friends were about to have an adventure. An adventure that would save Alfea and Wonderland alike.

* * *

 **ღ** In a dark place unknown to the heroines **ღ**

Raven gasped. "Where are we? What's happening?" she asked loudly, her voice echoing around her. She and her friends were floating in some kind of dark dimension with Raven's magic spiraling around them like a vortex. She and her friends screamed as a strong force pulled them down into the vortex.

"What's going on?" panicked Briar as they were pulled into some sort of dark, gravity-less plane with random objects floating about.

"If I didn't know better—and I don't know better—I'd say this is a rabbit hole!" said Maddie excitedly, bouncing off a table.

"I wonder where it leads to," said Lizzie, running across a giant clock.

"AHHHHH!" screamed Briar, falling past her and towards a giant purple opening. The six were pulled out of the darkness and whisked into mid-air.

"What's going on?" asked Apple loudly as her clothes transformed into a pale rose tunic with red ribbon patterns.

"We're changing, silly!" laughed Maddie as her tights changed colors, the bow around her waist grew longer and fuller, and a new pair of heels replaced her old ones.

"This is weird!"exclaimed Briar, reaching up for the crownglasses as they floated away from her. Her outfit changed into a pink mermaid dress with a wide skirt.

"Weird is a good thing," shouted Kitty as yellow streaks appeared in her twisting hair.

"Definitely a good thing!" agreed Lizzie as a card high collar materialized at the back of her new dress.

"I don't know about this!" Raven's hair began to magically tie itself back into a ponytail. After they finished transforming into new clothes, individual magical yellow orbs formed around all of them.

"Woohoo! This is fun!" giggled Maddie as the orbs whizzed through a vast, empty space.

"Yikes!" yelped Raven, shutting her eyes as they collided into an illuminated clock. Oddly, she didn't feel any pain. When she opened her eyes, she and her friends were being materialized onto stopwatch-shaped teleportation pads.

"Curiouser and curiouser," said Kitty, looking around at their new surroundings. Her purple hair was now swept to the left side of her head with a neon-yellow streak through her fringe and another one through her ponytail. Her eyebrows were colored pale purple, lips deep purple, while her eye makeup was the same neon-yellow color as her hair streaks. Kitty wore a zigzag pattern purple top with a long, flowing skirt embellished with club, butterfly, mushroom, and grin patterns, multicolored zigzags, and an apple-green layer underneath with a scalloped edge. Attacked to her dress was a long purple tail in which a rounded clock purse hung from. She sported a purple fur collar, high-heeled smoke flats with pink spurs, black gloves with pink fur cuffs, large black cat ears, and translucent light green mushroom earrings.

"Where are we?" asked Briar. Her hair was tied up in a high bun, and her front hair was streaked pink and green. Her lips and eyeshadow were pink, while her eyeshadow green. She wore a pale-fuchsia colored dress in a mermaid style. To her waist, the dress was covered with pink roses while the bottom of the dress was covered by the pattern of a large rose, with designs of rose vines and butterflies in green and blue on a gradient pink to sky-blue background. She also sported an ornate green vine collar, mint blue heels with large pink roses on the side, a silver necklace of three roses, a large rose headpiece, long pink rose earrings, green vine-like arm cuffs, and a pink rose ring.

"Wait a tick!" exclaimed Maddie, looking around. Her teal, pink, and magenta-streaked hair was extremely frizzy, eyebrows magenta, and lips a mild grape-purple color. She wore a large Mad Hatter-themed coat with a polka-dotted purple ribbon in the middle. Her coat had several patterns such as spades, chess-pieces and teacups over light blue swirls. Underneath her coat, she wore a plain light turquoise tunic with bright red stockings and light turquoise colored teacup shoes. She accessorized with a hot-pink clock necklace, black gloves with black frills, gold clock earrings, a hot-pink teacup ring, and a large blue top hat complete with the Mad Hatter-style. "It looks like we're in-"

"Wonderland!" exclaimed the three Wonderlandians excitedly.

"Oh, after all this time, I'm finally back home!" breathed Lizzie, looking up at the yellowish-pink sky. Lizzie had coordinately styled red-and-purple streaked hair, with only one bump behind her crown styled at the back. She had purple eyebrows, bright red lips, and eye makeup that was around the shade of dusty orange. She wore a tiffany blue dress with a swirly red satin gown layer acting as the skirt in a peplum. It was patterned with hearts, cards, golden bead, and purple swirls. Lizzie had thin fishnet stockings, golden card heels, and a pale pink heart in the center of them. There was a card high collar colored hot pink attached to the back of her dress. Her accessories included a long, gold-beaded heart necklace wrapped around her neck several times and was at shoulder length, a gold crown with a large spade and small heart on it, and with a pale pink flamingo on top, tiffany blue pawn earrings, a rounded gold clock handbag, black gloves with ruffled white cuffs, and a gold hedgehog ring.

"Who knew there was a dress code," said Briar with a smile.

"Yeah, these new dresses are wonderlandiful!" agreed Kitty, looking down at herself.

Apple and Briar bumped into each other on accident. "Ohh!" they both exclaimed with a giggle.

"This bow is gonna take some getting used to! But I love it," laughed Apple. Her hair was swept loosely on the right side, while her left side sported the half-up half-down style. Her hair was streaked with turquoise and cherry red, her were eyebrows bright red, eye makeup light blue, and lips solid red. Apple's dress was a pale rose tunic with red ribbon patterns. The pattern continued to the skirt with the addition of cyan chess pieces, apples, and black diamonds and cards. The dress also had a bright sky-blue layer underneath. Her dress was accompanied with big poofed red sleeves and a swirly blue high collar. She wore gold heels with dwarfs for the heels and diamonds on the front, a large crown with roses at the base and a huge red bow securing it, black gloves with frilly pearl white cuffs (with diamond cutouts), a red apple ring, and red apple earrings.

"Yeah, I wish I could, but I can't take credit for the dresses," admitted Raven. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail with a prominent widow's peak, and a dark teal streak on the right side of her head. She had dark eyebrows, dirty-lavender colored eyeshadow, and dark violet lips. Raven wore a translucent teal high color with four cards on the right side of it, and a mermaid-style skirt frill dress which flowed down to her calves. It was colored light lilac patterned with purple colored feathers. The frill part of her mermaid dress was horizontally striped lime green and dark turquoise, while her shoes were black with spikes and studs which curled around her ankles. She accessorized with a line green headband with a jester's hat motif. "In fact, I'm not even sure how we-"

"Oh, Raven! You broke the curse and brought us to Wonderland!" Lizzie wrapped her arms around Raven for a hug.

"No, Lizzie, no, listen-"

"For now you've totally made up for what your mother did, "went on Lizzie happily, squeezing Raven tight.

"Eh, yeah, except that, the thing is-"

"Hey guys, now that we're back in Wonderland, we could find the Storybook of Legends!" pointed out Kitty. Back during Ever After High's spring fair, Alistair and Bunny had found the actual Storybook in Wonderland before they arrived in Ever After. Unfortunately, right before they made their journey to Ever After via the Well of Wonder (the only remaining active Wonderlandian portal in the Fairytale World), the Cheshire Cat had swapped the real one for a book of tricks. Or, that's what Alistair and Bunny insisted.

 _Wait, Mom. I'm confused. If the Well of Wonder is an active portal leading to Wonderland, why didn't Lizzie just use it to get to her homeland?_

Because the Well never stays in one place for more than a few seconds before it teleports someplace else. Locating it would be an extremely difficult task.

 _Oh, I get it._

"Yeah, about that," chuckled Briar nervously, "I've been meaning to tell you guys about this for a while and-"

"Can it wait, Briar? My mother's party is at teatime." Lizzie began to run ahead. "Hurry everyone!" The other girls except for Raven began to enthusiastically cheer as they followed after Lizzie.

"But something's not right!" exclaimed Raven, "but-" She groaned quickly and hastily ran after them.

And so, the girls started the course to Card Castle, completely oblivious to the fact that someone else had been transported to Wonderland with them. Darling Charming slid out of a tree stump and looked ahead at her chattering friends. But instead of following them, she headed off on her own in another direction.

 _Wait. What's Darling doing? Where's she going? Doesn't she want to help her friends save the Queen of Hearts?_

Be patient, Brooke. Darling has her own way of doing things. And for your other questions, only the story will tell.

* * *

 **ღ** Wonderland **ღ**

"I can't believe we're really in Wonderland!" said Briar as the girls walked across the grassy plains of Wonderland.

"I know, I've always dreamed of coming here," nodded Apple excitedly, looking around.

"Oh, I am fairy hexcited to show you around," said Maddie, hopping down from a hill.

"It feels so good to be home!" enthused Lizzie as the girls walked deeper into Wonderland.

"Wow, what beautiful silver archways!" said Raven, looking up as the girls walked through a crooked archway.

"Yes, it appears we've come to…a fork in the road," announced Lizzie. A giant fork was literally in front of pathways leading separate directions.

"Hmm, which way is the Queen of Heart's castle?" asked Raven, glancing down all the paths.

"Well, you do not want to go down Bandersnatch Boulevard," informed Maddie, pointing in the direction of the road that led through a gloomy, misty, dangerous-looking plain with thorny archways and cactuses. "And Dirty Dish Drive is way too icky," she added, gesturing towards the trail that led into a area full of dirty spatulas, plates, and spoons that served as vegetation, and swampy marshes that looked like dirty dish water. All the girls let out groans of disgust. "Ooh, Watch-Winder Way," decided Maddie, motioning towards the clean-looking trail that snaked through a field of pink grass and large ticking stopwatches.

"Why Maddie, I do think you're right," agreed Lizzie, "this way everyone!" She gestured for the others to follow as she started down the shiny yellow trail. When they got to the top of the hill, they all let out delighted laughs as they watched the Wonderland animals roam the plains. The six proceeded down the trail as a group of origami deer ran through the plains.

One of the deer appeared before Briar and the girl petted it. "Whoa," she giggled as it outstretched its neck to eat the leaves on the tree above.

"Well, I think we can all agree this place sure lives up to its name," smiled Briar as the girls wandered through a flower land where the flowers all spewed out small spade-shaped flies.

"Absolutely!" agreed Kitty, "be careful though; Wonderland can be a dangerous place too." The girls then screamed and ran off as bigger flowers came down from the sky and began eating the flies with big chops and snaps. "Ooh, see what I mean!"

Eventually, they came across a bridge that stretched over a lake. Beside the bridge was a waterfall that was somehow flowing _upwards_ out of the lake and into the sky. "I've heard of a water _fall_ , but it's flowing up into the clouds," said Apple as the girls stopped to observe the peculiar sight.

"A good day to you, ladies!" called a little frogman, who was rowing his boat _up_ the waterfall. He stopped and tipped his hat at the girls.

"Oh, uh, good day to you too," wave Apple as the frogman continued to row up the waterfall. A large fish was swimming up after the boat.

"So would that be swimming upstream?" asked Raven jokingly as the girls continued across the bridge. The girls groaned in unison at Raven's pun. "Well, someone had to say it," insisted Raven.

Not long after, they came across a thicket. "Come now; we must press on!" declared Lizzie, looking behind her shoulder at her friends. "There will be plenty of time to stop and smell the roses after we save my mother."

"Huh. I would've thought in Wonderland, the roses smell you," joked Briar as Kitty fell behind.

"Hmm," purred Kitty, staring at a spade in the card fence carefully, seeing that they were really Wonderland fishes disguised as spades. She outstretched a finger at it, and the animals reacted to her gesture by swimming off the fence and floating around her.

Apple gasped in delight as they floated around her next. The fishes disappeared into the water and got swallowed by a white hippo. The colors and shapes of the Wonderland fish inside the hippo's mouth soon appeared on its white back. Apple stepped in closer to admire it from a close distance, but Briar pulled her away. "Come on, Apple," she urged, leading her friend away.

"Huh?"

"I think she wants a bite of your bow," said Briar with a nervous chuckle.

As the girls walked deeper down the road, they came across two odd flying animals. They gasped as the two animals got sucked in by a bigger animal, revealing to be its eyes.

"Wow! That's something you don't see every day," commented Raven.

"Raven, Apple, come on!" encouraged Lizzie excitedly, "now that the curse is lifted and the border is open…."

"I-I don't think I actually opened the border," said Raven nervously, "and as for the curse…"

Lizzie walked over to a cliff side and gasped. The other girls hurried over to see that the field ahead was contaminated by green fog. "Oh….No…." Above the field was a giant, spiraling cloud of green fog with lightning striking within them.

"Those clouds in the sky, what are they?" asked Apple as everyone stared up at them.

"It is the curse," said Lizzie, becoming worried. "I thought it was lifted."

"But what does it mean? Wh-wh-what's happening?" asked Maddie, sharing Lizzie's worry.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't know," admitted Raven.

"Well, we need to find out," said Apple.

"And I'll help you right after we save my mother from this scheming villain," declared Lizzie, putting her fists on her hips. "Whoever they are. Then it'll be off with their head instead of hers!"

Suddenly, a horse whined in the distance. The six turned around to see a knight in white armor riding up to them on his white chess-piece stead.

"Look! The White Knight!" exclaimed Kitty as the White Knight came to a halt before them.

"Run, quickly! They're coming!" he warned, looking over his shoulder briefly.

"Who's coming?" asked Raven in a panicky voice.

"Follow me." Without answering Raven's question, the White Knight began to gallop down the hill on his horse. The girls exchanged confused looks and started to follow after the knight, still bewildered.

Just as they were crossing a bridge, someone else brung them to a halt. It was a red knight on a chess-piece horse just like the White Knight. "Stop right there!" he ordered. Raven gasped at the sight of the imposing knight. "Men, deploy!" A card solider jumped out from behind the Red Knight and it multiplied on the spot, surrounding the entire bridge.

"Why couldn't you do anything?" Lizzie asked of the White Knight.

"Well, I couldn't do anything," replied the White Knight, "it was his turn."

"Well, what do you want with us?" asked Raven daringly, putting her fists on her hips boldly.

The Red Knight jumped down from his stead. "I am the attendance officer for Wonderland high school. Unless you have a hall pass signed by the vice-principal, I am bound to deliver you back to class."

"Don't worry, Lizzie! I'll go warn your mom!" assured Kitty confidently. She smiled wide and tried disappearing, but failed. "Something's wrong with my magic!" she cried out, "I can't teleport out of here!"

"Maybe its….part of the curse?" considered Maddie with a confused shrug.

"It doesn't matter." Lizzie put a hand on Kitty's shoulder and smiled. "We'll all be at the palace soon enough. Once we get to the vice-principal, I'll just explain our situation." She cleared her throat, "How long do we get to the school anyway?" she asked the Red Knight.

"It's not far too there," replied the Red Knight, "because you're already here." The girls gasped and looked around. Sure enough, they were standing in the middle of a pathway that was leading to a giant castle in the distance, which must've been Wonderland High. They hadn't realized the beautiful thickets and mazes they had been walking by were actually part of school grounds.

"Of all the days, we just had to come here on school day," pouted Maddie, crossing her arms.

"School or no school, you do realize my mother is the queen? I don't have to stay here." She turned around and started to regally march for the stone archway leading away from the school and off school grounds. "Come along my friends." The card soldiers appeared in front of her with their weapons in hand. "But-but!-" stuttered Lizzie.

"Sorry ma'am, but you're on school grounds now," said the Red Knight, "you follow school rules. And none of you is going anywhere until you graduate." The six gasped as the gate shut behind them.

And so, the girls in wondrous land unplanned the frabjous plan they planned with downly frowns and a slow galumph to school they go to high harrumph.

 _Wait, what are you even saying, Mom? Seriously, you're acting weird. I mean, you always act weird, but-_

Logic! It is plain to see that one plus one is less than three! All beauties beaut in the hears you heard; the sightly sights of the whisply word.

 _Ohh, I see. Mom, you have Wonderland fever. Go get some rest, I got this. *deep breath* Here I go…_

…So the girls landed in Wonderland, only to be captured by the Red Knight, and now they aren't allowed to leave until they graduate from Wonderland High.

And the adventure was just beginning.


	7. The Adventure Begins

**Here we go! The official crossover starts NOW. Tell me what you think. I wish you all could see the beautiful color I wrote this chapter in. But unfortunately, the standard color on Fanfiction is black and you can't change it. Regardless of this fact, I still choose to change the colors of my font. For an odd reason, the color just inspires me to keep writing. ANYWAY-**

 **Whoop, whoop! I just updated this yesterday, and here's a new chapter already. I'm on fire! Let's see if I can continue to do daily updates. I want this story to be at 85,000 words or more by April 8** **th** **. April 8** **th** **of last year, 2015, was the date I created my original story. When I deleted it, it was at about 85,000 words. Well, enough talk. Read on and enjoy the story. Don't forget to review.**

 **REMEMBER: Brooke is narrating this chapter.**

 **(P.S. Sorry for any mistakes. If you see some, feel free to message me. I'll fix them. Typos are the worst mistakes I make was a writer. For some reason, I misspell words and sometimes, I COMPLETELY write a different word then what I wanted to. I don't know why, but it's just something I've always done. But whatever. We're all human, right? We're BOUND to make mistakes. Well. That was completely off topic. Sorry for such a long author's note. I can get off topic REAL easily. Just ignore me. You won't be the first. Far from it, actually. )**

* * *

 **~O~**

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

"You don't understand! I can't go to school! Take us to the palace immediately!" pleaded Lizzie as the Red Knight led them through a maze in front of Wonderland High. The girls were so caught up in the moment, they hadn't realized that the White Knight discretely headed off in another direction.

"Sorry Your Majesty, but those are the rules," replied the Red Knight. Lizzie folded her arms in annoyance. "Once you step onto campus, no one is free to go unless you pass your classes. No one…." He stopped his horse in front of the wide staircase leading up into the school. "Look, I'm afraid we've gotten off to a bad start," said the Red Knight, reaching up and removing his helmet. "Chase is the name. Chas Redford." The girls stared in awe as he flipped his black-and-red mop of hair. "And I understand your distress." He jumped down from his horse. "Besides, it's just one day of school. How hard could it be?"

"Lizzie. You said your mom's party is at teatime. What time is that?" asked Raven.

Maddie giggled. "Easy. Teatime is the time when we have our tea. It's right there in the name," she said in a joking voice. Raven and Kitty giggled at her remark.

"No, I meant-"

"Four o'clock," replied Lizzie, who was not amused.

"Not a problem. School lets out at three. See?" He started up the stairs and the girls followed. "Now you really don't want to be late. The vice-principal doesn't like it when students are late."

"Uh, what about the principal?" asked Briar.

"The vice-principal is the principal. After all, it's not really fair to promote a vice-principal out of their vice-principal job to make the principal." He chuckled. "It's principally a matter of principle." They reached the top of the stairs.

Maddie put a hand on her chin. "Hmm, makes sense to me!"

Just then, a little white rabbit pushed past Kitty and Maddie. "Excuse me! Clear the way! I'm very late! I can't delay!" exclaimed the white rabbit frantically. Maddie exclaimed in delight as the rabbit recognized her. "Oh my, ears and whiskers! It's Madeline Hatter! And Kitty Cheshire, too! Ah, oh, Your Royal Highness." He bowed at the sight of Lizzie.

"Guys, this is the White Rabbit; Bunny's dad," introduced Maddie. She then whispered to the rabbit: "Bunny's okay; at Ever After by the way."

"Oh, thank goodness she's safe from the curse," breathed out the rabbit in relief.

"Oh! About that curse-" started Apple.

The White Rabbit's pocket watch began to ring loudly. "Oh dear. Oh dear!" he worried, "no time to talk! That's the bell that rings when the bell's about to ring! Quickly now!" He hopped quickly through the tiny front door.

Apple eyed Raven, bewildered. She bent down and took hold of the handle. In response to her touch, it light up, splitting into jigsaw pieces which slipped through the cracks in the wall as the door dispersed. The girls proceeded into the school and gasped at their new surroundings.

The interior of the school was filled with upside-down staircases and bizarrely dressed students walking through the halls.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" The White Rabbit hopped out from a corner. "I said quickly. You mustn't be late for class. This way, this way!" He turned his back to the girls and pushed a button on his watch, activating a walking escalator underneath their feet.

"Whoa! This is weird!" exclaimed Raven as the escalator began to transport them through the halls.

* * *

 **~O~**

As Chase watched the girls head off to class, a pebble bounced of his head. "Huh? Ow!" He looked up to see a jester standing on the platform above the front door.

"Oi, you. Was that little Lizzie Hearts I just saw?"she asked.

"Yes, Courtly—uh, I mean, Ms. Jester—with some friends from Ever After."

"Ever After, eh? And who might they be, then?"

"You know, I didn't get much of a chance to find out…"

"Go on! Be on about your business, then! Off with ya!" shooed Courtly. When the Red Knight walked away, she added quietly to herself: "Seems I'd better look into this…"

* * *

 **~O~**

"Is high school in Wonderland always this weird?" asked Raven as the walking escalator carried them across walls and ceilings.

"Tell me about it," cracked a blond in a schoolgirl outfit, who was riding the escalator up towards the ceiling behind Raven and Briar. "I've been riding this thing for at least ten minutes now and it's taken me nowhere."

"It seems pretty normal to me," purred Kitty, who was riding an escalator above their heads.

"Right. 'Normal'," repeated Briar as she, Raven, and the blond rode their escalator through a heart-shaped archway.

"I'm not even sure where this hallway goes," said Apple. She and Maddie were riding their escalator down a different direction.

"Ooh Apple, that's easy. It goes that way." Maddie vaguely pointed upwards.

"Mister White Rabbit sir, please. You have to let my mother know I'm here. I really must speak with her!" pleaded Lizzie as she and the White Rabbit rode an escalator up a steep slope.

"Oh my fluffy tail, no. No, no no no no." The White Rabbit shook his head frantically. "The vice-principal will be most displeased."

"Please, you don't understand! We're on a mission!" exclaimed Raven as hers and the blond's escalator merged with Lizzie's.

"Trust me, he won't listen," warned the blond, putting a hand on her hip distastefully. "My friends and I told him the same thing, but he won't let us go anywhere until we complete this lousy school day."

"Lizzie's mother the Queen of Hearts is in danger and my mom is the Evil Queen! You know, the one who cursed Wonderland in the first place?"

The White Rabbit shuddered. "Oh dear, oh dear."

"Maybe while we're here I can break that too. Surely for the good of Wonderland!" continued Raven as all the escalators converged."You can let us go and—

"I must tell you something - you are correct! There is a plot against the Queen of Hearts!" said the White Rabbit lowly.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Lizzie angrily, folding her arms across her chest.

"Whoa. There's a plot against the queen?" The blond raised a questioning eyebrow. "That sounds serious."

"It is! We have to stop whoever's behind this nasty plot, but we aren't allowed to leave until we graduate," informed Lizzie angrily, "it's extremely frustrating! No one seems to care that my mother's in danger!"

The blond rolled her eyes at the ceiling. "I hear you. My friends and I aren't even students here. We came to Wonderland in search for something that could save our actual school from a terrible threat. However, we can't leave this nutty place until we complete the school day."

"Sounds like we're nearly on the same page," Apple told the blond, "I'm Apple, by the way. And that's Raven, Kitty, Lizzie, Maddie, and Briar."

"Cool. I'm Stella. It's nice to finally come across someone in this school who isn't completely loony."

"What about the Storybook of Legends? Do you know where it is?" Briar asked the White Rabbit nervously.

"I do not, young lady. But there's a prophecy!" declared the rabbit.

"Ugh. Again with this prophecy thing," frowned Stella as the combined escalators formed a hallway. "What's so important about it anyway that you can't let me and my friends go?"

Before the White Rabbit could answer, a voice called out: "There you are, Stella!" A girl with redhead hurried up to them, accompanied by a girl with short magenta hair and a young man with navy-blue hair, sideburns, and red armor. "We looked everywhere for you," said the redhead with the long braid.

Stella laughed nervously. "I kinda got lost," she said. She then gestured towards the others. "But I _did_ meet some girls who could use our help. This is Apple, Raven, Lizzie, Maddie, Kitty, and Briar. Girls, these are my friends Bloom, Tecna, and Nex." Raven, her friends, and Stella's friends waved and echoed their hellos.

"My mother, the Queen of Hearts, is in danger of being overthrown!" exclaimed Lizzie, stepping up to the redhead who was Bloom. "We need to stop this from happening, but we're trapped inside this school!"

Bloom nodded understandingly. "That sounds terrible! I'm sorry." She squeezed Lizzie's shoulder encouragingly. "We know how you feel. See, we aren't from here. We came to Wonderland in search of the vorpal sword, so we can kill the Jabberwock and save our friends."

"The Jabberwock?" repeated Kitty, "how did it get out of Wonderland?"

"With the border being sealed and all," added Maddie with a nod, "ya know, because of the curse."

"And speaking of the curse, we think Raven can reverse it," said Apple, gesturing towards Raven. "But we can't do anything until we graduate."

Nex frowned and clenched a fist. "They told the same thing to us."

"Maybe we can work together," suggested Raven hopefully, "we can help each other out."

"We can work together to pass our classes," agreed Bloom with a smile, "and then we can help you save the queen."

"And when that's done, we can help you find the vorpal sword," added Kitty with a purr.

"And after we stop the Jabberwock and this scheming villain, we can work to eliminate the Wonderland curse," finished Lizzie determinedly.

"It sounds like we have a plan!"Stella looked down at the White Rabbit. "You were saying something about a prophecy?"

The White Rabbit nodded frantically and cleared his throat. "Into our world, six girls will drop to end this endless rhyme. Four other heroes will enter up from underneath in the meantime. The curse will tick-tock to a stop and ring its final chime. The legend book which the cat did swap they shall possibly find and the regal head should not be chopped, _if_ they graduate on time. After all is said and done, they will embark for the blade in the Tumtum trunk; but will only obtain it if they listen to the hooded skunk and rummage through the junk."

"That actually made sense," said Raven with a gasp, "sort of."

"Of course it did," giggled Maddie.

"We're the six girls who dropped into this world!" exclaimed Apple.

"And we're the four who traveled _up_ from under the school," added Bloom, sharing Apple's excitement.

"The book of legends; my mom swapped it out for that book of tricks," recalled Kitty.

"So, we'll find it?" asked Briar nervously.

"My mother will be safe!" declared Lizzie, becoming determined.

"And we'll find the vorpal sword. I think," added Nex.

" _If_ you graduate on time," reminded the White Rabbit. The school bell rang again, perking up the rabbit. "The second bell! I'm late! Here, your class." He handed Raven a painter's brush and hopped away frantically. "I'm late! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!" A hole opened up in the floor and he jumped down into it.

"He's kinda high-strong, isn't he?" chuckled Briar as the hole closed up.

"Yeah, and, um, how is _this_ our class?" asked Raven, referring to the paint brush, which was dripping orange paint.

Maddie giggled. "Silly! You just take your brush and paint a happy little door!" She took the brush from Raven and coated the wall with orange paint. The paint transformed into a wavy door. "There!"

"Like everything else in this school, that defies logic," stated Tecna.

"So all we have to do is complete one day of school?" asked Raven as Maddie opened the door, "that doesn't seem so hard!" The girls and Nex walked in the door but stopped confusedly as floating mini-aquariums floated around the room. They all gasped as they found themselves upside-down. After a few seconds of standing there, they fell onto the floor.

"It's harder than you think," said Maddie, getting off Stella.

"I can already tell we're off to a bad start," said Tecna with a small frown, helping Raven to her feet.

Briar grunted and brushed the dust off her dress. "Is this seriously what it's gonna be like all day long? I don't think this dress was designed for parkour."

"Ahem, welcome to Fishlosophy," rasped a walking fish with a pair of round glasses, "please take your seats."

"Oh uh, yes sir." She and the others walked over to the book-like desks and chess-piece themed chairs. "This looks like a good spot," Apple said to herself. She sat down at the desk but jumped back abruptly as face spawned on the desk.

"Ow, hey! Don't sit on me! What do I look like? A desk?" it snapped.

"Oh my gosh, sorry," apologized Apple worriedly. She looked at her friends and pointed at the desk. "This desk just spoke!"

Raven was flung off by her chair and desk. "Whoa!" she cried out.

"Get off me! What do I look like? A chair?" the chair hissed.

Bloom's desk grew a face and it growled at her. "The furniture's alive!" she exclaimed, jumping up.

Briar accidentally stepped backwards into the teacher's desk. "Ow, hey, watch where you're going!" it said angrily, "does personal space mean anything to you people?"

Eventually, all the furniture in the room began to yell at them. "What's with the exchange students?" "They think they can do whatever they want!" "Learn the culture!"

"How dare you!" hissed a hat on the hat rack.

From the tip of the teacher's pointer stick, a seahorse let out a loud whine, silencing the both the young people and furniture. It blew its own bubble and hopped into it. "You need to take a seat."

"Dude, the furniture nearly wants to eat us alive!" exclaimed Nex with frown.

"I'm sorry, but we really don't wanna do anything wrong again," said Raven apologetically. Bloom and Briar nodded in agreement.

"We don't understand the rules," added Apple.

"If there are any," mumbled Stella.

"They're new here," said Kitty as if apologizing for her friends' startled behavior.

"Talk about not fitting in," nodded Raven, "I'm a total fish out of water."

"A fish in a school out of water, you say?" repeated the teacher, "you all have learned faster and faster. With all I can teach I have taught you today, you six have become as your master - pass!"

"Wait, what?" Tecna raised an eyebrow. "I'm quite confused as to-" She stopped as the teacher flickered his wrist at them, using his pointer stick. The floor beneath them turned into water and the teacher leaped it. Seconds later, the girls and Nex fell in after him.

However, none of them felt any wetness as giant bubbles formed around them. "Hey, this is actually pretty cool," said Bloom as they floated downward into a different classroom. The bubbles popped as soon as they landed at the desks.

At a freakishly tall chalkboard was an animate owl, who was scribbling things on the blackboard and talking unintelligibly. "...Where Y equals the sum of pi plus the square root of thirteen. Hoo." His head did a freaky turn and he blinked down at his students. "Pupil, has does one solve this problem?" he asked.

"Whoa. That's a lot of math," said Nex, staring up at the tall blackboard. The whole thing was covered in white formulas from top to bottom.

"And it's all one problem?" asked Raven worriedly.

"Ugh. I knew I should've paid more attention in math class," groaned Stella, "how are we supposed to solve _that_? It looks impossible!"

"It only looks long 'cause he's over-complicating everything," explained Apple, "if you simply the formulas as you get rid of the redundancies, you'll cut the problem in half!"

"I've actually analyzed the entire problem," reported Tecna thoughtfully, rubbing her chin."Like Apple said, all you need to do is cut the problem in half then-" Suddenly, a card guard appeared from behind Apple and charged at the blackboard. He split the board in half with his sword, and the entire thing crumbled in two.

"Well, that's one way to cut it in half," said Raven with a smile.

"As I was saying, after you cut the problem in half, the answer is quite simple," continued Tecna, "it's five point one three six seven seven seven four zero one four. I would have had the answer sooner, but didn't want to use my phone for such a simple problem."

" _That_ was simple?" asked Bloom.

"Severely." And Tecna didn't mean to sound boastful either. She was naturally just that smart."My brain works just like a computer."

"Problem solved! Class dismissed!" hooted the owl, flying above the classroom. He released a scroll and it dropped down to the ground. The black and white tiles soon disappeared and the girls and Nex fell into the black abyss below.

"Hey. What's happening?" asked Raven as they floated in the black nothingness. She gasped as the blackness began to melt away like butter around them, revealing a lecture hall

"Seriously, can't we just _walk_ out of class like normal people?" complained Stella as a shiny checkerboard floor formed under their feet.

"In case you haven't noticed, Wonderland High is anything _but_ normal," reminded Briar thoughtfully.

"Welcome to advanced Riddlish," announced a bird-human hybrid standing at the front of the hall, "please take your seats." After checking to make sure the desks weren't animate, they seated themselves and the teacher continued with the lesson. "Today, we will hold a debate in riddlish. Any flaws in your response will affect your grade."

"Riddlish? What's that?" asked Bloom in a near whisper to Raven, who sat beside her.

"It's the official language of Wonderland," Raven whispered back, "it's _impossible_ to understand it unless you were born in Wonderland."

"The debate," announced the teacher, "will be the following: as a hare drops his flare, the turtle becomes one to oppose the dare. The hippo eats his pear, but only to fall into the serpent's lair."

Stella's mouth dropped open. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" she stuttered, completely bewildered.

"She said, we'll be debating about the issues of global warming," informed Maddie with a giggle, "that or the human involvement in the extinction of rare species. _Or_ if drinking milk is good for people. "

"What? It could be three different things?" asked Apple worriedly.

Lizzie nodded. "Riddlish is not an exact language."

"It's even hard for us Wonderlandians to understand it sometimes," added Kitty.

"Ugh! This is so frustrating! " Stella stood up and moodily crossed her arms. "All this is is just nonsense! Absolute nonsense! It literally means _nothing_ and it's completely random!"

"Stella. Calm down," advised Raven.

Stella stooped her foot angrily. "Anyone can say _anything_ nonsensical and it'll pass off as actual dialogue!" She wasn't stopping there. She pointed a finger at the teacher. "If it's riddlish you want, then fine! I'm gonna give you a taste of your own medicine! Here's something completely meaningless you mad Wonderlandians would say: tick-tock goes the clock, but don't proceed until you hear the hawk gawk. Though at the door the cricket knocks, don't let him enter into the peacock walks the crosswalk." All the Wonderlandians included the teacher gasped in awe. Stella immediately took that as a bad sign. "Did I say something bad?" she asked, calming down and becoming a little nervous. "I didn't mean to be offensive, I was just-"

"Stella, your response was flawless!" applauded Lizzie.

"It was?"

"I didn't know you spoke Riddlish," giggled Maddie.

"I don't understand. I just put together a bunch of nonsense that rhymed," explained Stella.

"That's what Riddlish is, silly!" purred Kitty.

"Oh. _Oh._ " Realization washed over Stella. She then put her hands on her hips confidently. "If that's the case, bring it on!" she said to the teacher determinedly.

The bird/woman stood up from her seat calmly. "As a sail doesn't have a tail, a mouse cannot wear a blouse. Like the wind lifts its chin, the horse in the bay shall eat its hay."

"Okay, this is just getting silly now," said Bloom, smiling.

Stella remained silent for a moment as she thought of a good debate. "The poor lion is so blue; its many tears were the morning dew. The unfortunate lamp got so damp, it was forced to visit summer camp."

"Whoa. That was a good one," said Maddie in shock.

"Stella, you're on fire!" cheered Kitty.

"If she keeps this up, we'll be out of here in no time!" added Lizzie determinedly.

"At least _someone_ understands this madness," giggled Apple.

The teacher countered Stella immediately. "Wings can't sing, but the shoestring cried at the bee sting. Just like the stone king entered the boxing ring, the bride abandoned her wedding and went to a place called everything."

"Oh my," gasped Lizzie.

Instead of being worried, Stella just laughed. "What good is a heart if it can be pierced by the dullest of darts? Why not express your emoticons if you have enough words to fill the entire ocean? Shouldn't we all be generous, 'cause believe me, it's hardly rigorous." The Wonderlandians gasped again and the teacher looked completely stunned.

"That was beautiful," sniffled Lizzie, shedding a tear.

"Truer words have never been spoken," agreed Kitty with a nod of amazement.

Apparently, Stella's argument was so outstanding, not even the teacher could pose a defense. "That was beautiful," she complimented admiringly, "not even I can argue with words like those. Your Riddlish was completely flawless!" She wiped after a few tears and declared, "You have passed my class!"

"Stella, you did it! I'm so proud of you!" exclaimed Bloom, jumping up and throwing her arms around Stella as the others seconded their agreement.

"How'd you know what to say?" asked Briar curiously.

"I didn't," admitted Stella, "I just listened to Kitty and put something together. It wasn't hard, really. Actually, it was kinda fun."

"At this rate, we'll be out of here in no time!" said Nex confidently. Suddenly, the entire lecture hall began to shake.

"What's happening?" meowed Kitty in distress, grabbing on to Nex's arm. "Why's the room shaking? Are we having an earthquake?" A random portal opened up under their feet, and all ten of them fell in.

"Not this again!" shrieked Briar as they dropped down through some kind of pink space. They dropped down into a different lecture room and landed gently in their seats. The group was welcomed by two monkeys standing on their podiums onstage, grunting, screeching, and pounding their chest maniacally.

One of the monkeys cleared his throat. "I, Tweedle Dee, of the affirmative position, welcome you to debate class. Tweedle Dum will represent the negative position." He gestured towards the other monkey.

"More debating? If it's anything like last class, this will be no sweat!" assured Nex, glancing at Stella, who shared the same positive look.

"I will not," protested Tweedle Dum.

"Oh, yes you will."

"No I won't!"

"Oh, yes you will!"

"No!" The group watched as the two monkeys continued to argue. Kitty, Stella, and Nex looked bored, Lizzie was making a _we-don't-have-time-to-be-sitting-here-watching-these-two-buffons-when-my-mother's-life-is-at-stake_ look, while everyone else just looked confused.

"I reject your refusal to be negative." Tweedle Dee's podium raised.

""I reject your rejection!" Tweedle Dum's podium grew higher than Tweedle Dee's.

"Oh, no you don't!"

"Oh yes I do!" Their podiums continued to rise with every counter.

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Well, you gotta admit. At least they're kinda funny." Raven let out a small laugh.

"But what they're doing isn't debating," frowned Apple, "they're just saying strange things and disagreeing for no reason!"

"We're not getting out of here anytime soon," yawned Kitty.

"Such negativity!" shouted Tweedle Dee.

"No it isn't!" argued Tweedle Dum.

"Oh, I can't take it anymore!" exclaimed Apple, standing up. She walked over to the stage and pulled a lever, sending both monkeys' debate podiums down back from where they started. "I'm really sorry, but this is debate class," said Apple apologetically, "things need to make sense. For starters, your hats are on backwards. You should be wearing this one." She gave Tweedle Dee Tweedle Dum's dunce hat with the letter "D". "And you should be wearing that one." She gave Tweedle Dum's graduation cap to Tweedle Dee. "Thank you!"

"There's no arguing with that logic!" declared Tweedle Dee.

"Oh, yes there is!" countered Tweedle Dum.

"No there isn't!"

"Oh, who's being negative now?"

Apple sighed in annoyance. The bell suddenly chimed.

"Twelve o'clock! Time for lunch!" giggled Maddie, standing up.

"Finally! I'm famished!" said Nex, standing up and following the girls to the exit. "All that work was giving me an appetite."

"But you didn't do anything," giggled Raven.

Little did the hero and heroines know that their day was about to become complicated.

Way more complicated.


	8. A Classical Game of Unchess!

**ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

"Hey, this vinegar-and-oyster surprise isn't half bad," said Raven, sticking her spoon into the bowl of porridge-like food.

An oyster popped up from under her food. "That's the surprise!" it said.

More oysters appeared beside it. "Surprise!" exclaimed the second one. "Surprise!" echoed the third. "Surprise!" said the forth. Raven shuddered in disgust and pushed her bowl away.

"You should really eat up. We still got half a day ahead of us," reminded Maddie, eating another spoonful of her food. The group was sitting at a table in the higher level of the cafeteria, enjoying their lunch break. The cafeteria was just like the rest of the school; massive fish floated around, and spade, diamond, puzzle, and heart theme made up the entire interior.

"If the second half is anything like the first half, it should be pretty easy," said Briar confidently.

"You know, this place isn't half bad," admitted Stella, forking up some pasta. "Once you get past all the oddness," she added as a fish inside a bubble floated by.

"I was actually worried at first," nodded Raven, "I mean, that Red Knight guy was super uptight, but now, I don't know, it seems like this place just does its own thing. I kinda like that."

"Yes, well, I wouldn't count on liking it _all_ the time," said Lizzie slowly.

Kitty, who was balancing her fork with her finger, agreed. "Yeah, things in Wonderland have a way of getting…tricky." She dropped her fork in seriousness.

"Ha. Shouldn't be that hard," insisted Nex arrogantly, "back home, we deal with way more dangerous situations."

"Speaking of home, where exactly are you guys from?" asked Lizzie curiously, "you said earlier you weren't from here. How'd you get to Wonderland?"

"Well, it's a long story, actually," began Bloom, "see, we-"

"They're from a place called Magix and the girls go to a school called Alfea, which is in jeopardy of being destroyed by the Jabberwock," interrupted Maddie matter-of-factly. When she noticed the others' odd looks, she added, "I've been listening to Brooke narrate."

"Brooke?" repeated Nex, raising an eyebrow.

"She claims she hears a voice," informed Raven, "she talks to it every day."

"Magix? I don't think I've heard of that," mused Apple thoughtfully, "where in the Fairytale World is that?"

"What? You've never heard of the magic dimension? You've got to be pulling my leg," said Stella, rolling her eyes. Her mouth dropped open when she noticed the Wonderlandians', Apple's, and Raven's serious looks. "For real?"

"Let me explain this," volunteered Bloom, "I was once just as confused as them." She took a deep breath. "Magix isn't a part of the Fairytale World," she explained, "it's actually the other way around. Magix is the name for the magic universe and all its consisting realms and planets-"

"Planets? You mean, there are others?" Raven looked confused.

Bloom nodded. "I'm from the planet Domino, though I was raised here on Earth. Stella's from Solaria, Tecna from Nenith, and Nex from Linphea."

"Wait, so you're telling me there are actually other plants that can sustain life?" Apple seemed to be getting excited. "I don't understand. How come I've never heard of this 'Magix'?"

"I…I actually don't know," admitted Bloom, "but to answer your other question, under our school Alfea, there's an underground tunnel that's linked with the Wonderland High passageways. Because of the curse, the tunnel had to be sealed, but the headmistress of Alfea reopened it so we could get to Wonderland and find the vorpal sword."

"We _would_ be looking for the sword right now if we hadn't been sidetracked," smirked Nex, crossing his arms and suddenly looking annoyed.

"What I don't understand is why you all don't know about Magix," spoke up Tecna, "after all, the Fairytale World and Wonderland alike are both a part of it."

"We can think about that later. For now, we need to focus on getting out of here," declared Lizzie. The others seconded their agreement.

"Kitty, you said earlier that things in Wonderland can often get tricky, "recalled Apple, "and if they do, we can just figure them out. Ever puzzle as a solution." She winked.

"What a clever way to put it," said an unfamiliar voice. A jester was standing in between Raven and Lizzie with a wide eccentric smile on her face. She had peach skin and short curly, bobby blonde hair hid behind her large joker's collar. It had several purple streaks on a layered fringe on the right side of her face and a white diamond shape was drawn on her left eye. She wore a large magenta joker collar with bells on each end, translucent pastel purple sleeves with glitter, and a multicolored mini dress. She had a red jester belt with golden chains and multicolored stockings, midnight-blue boots with a mismatched length, midnight-blue wrist gloves and cuffs, a classic red fool's hat, and red diamond-shaped earrings.

"Mind if I take a seat?" she asked, sitting down on the table before anyone could answer. She turned around. "Kitty. Madeline! It is such a treat to see you back in Wonderland!"

"Everyone, meet Courtly Jester," introduced Lizzie, looking unhappy. "You might say she's a real wild card around these parts."

"Oh, why, it's little Lizzie Hearts," cooed Courtly, still wearing her smile. "I didn't even _notice_ you sitting there…." Lizzie scowled. "…right next to me." She chuckled smugly.

Lizzie pounded her fist onto the table. "This is your future queen you're talking to!"

"Oh! Are you now?" Courtly maintained her eccentric smile. She stretched out across the table, and chuckled as Lizzie gasped.

"So anyway Courtly, are you a student here at Wonderland High too?" asked Raven curiously.

"I'm the student body president," replied Courtly proudly, "you might say it's my business to know what's going on around here. Starting with-" She turned to Apple, "-who. Are. You?"

"Hi. Hi-um, I'm Apple White," answered Apple sheepishly, "This is Briar." Briar waved blankly to Courtly. Apple gestured towards Raven. "That's Raven Queen' the three of us are from Ever After High."

"And I'm Bloom," added Bloom. She pointed at Stella, then Tecna, and then at Nex. "That's Stella, Tecna, and Nex. We're…from different schools."

"And you're here, because?" Courtly looked around the table curiously.

"It's kind of a long story," sighed Apple as Lizzie gasped.

"Which you do _not_ have time to tell," said Lizzie grumpily, crossing her arms unhappily.

"But, you see, there's a plot against the Queen and we've come to stop it!" said Apple secretively as Lizzie gasped again, angrily.

"You don't say…"

"She _did_ say! And far too much at that," frowned Lizzie, glaring at Apple.

"I just thought that maybe she could help us find a way to get excused from school," explained Apple, "I mean this vice principal that everyone's talking about is more strict than Headmaster Grimm! Everyone seems to be afraid of them."

"Tell me about it," muttered Stella.

Courtly appeared beside Raven. "Hmm. On the contrary." She began to rub Raven's crown with her fingers. "I think the vice principal is pretty keen on shaking things up," she said, poking Raven's nose. The bell rang. "Ah ho-ho! There's the bell. It really was _so_ interesting meeting you all!" She hopped onto the balcony and relaxingly jumped off the edge. Raven gasped and looked downward. A huge floating fish began to rise up to the ceiling with Courtly standing on it. "Good luck in your classes," she said smugly as it floated off.

 **~O~**

The White Rabbit was hopping frantically to his next destination, but was stopped in the hall by Courtly Jester.

"Hang on, rabbit!" she commanded, leaning against a locker.

The rabbit stopped and turned around tensely. "W-w-what is it, Ms. Jester?" he asked shakily.

"Those people, you know, the uh, transfer students, change their coursework," answered Courtly, "make it more difficult." Frightened, the White Rabbit looked like he wanted to protest but refrained himself from doing so. He dropped his papers and began picking them up until Courtly stopped him. "You don't want to make the vice principal angry, do you?" she asked threateningly.

The rabbit shook his head, scared. "No, no, no-no-no, no, no."

"Then change their coursework! Make it impossible! Those transfer students must not graduate!" And with that cold command, Courtly Jester turned her back to the rabbit and started down the hall.

 **~O~**

"I am ready to roll!" exclaimed Briar confidently as the group ran down a corridor together.

"Let's do this!" nodded Kitty, sharing Briar's spirit.

"We're on fire! We'll be out of here no sweat!" added Nex.

"You know, I've actually got a good feeling about-" Raven paused as they ran through a pair of doors and onto a giant chessboard. "-oh. Chess? Awh, man, I'm horrible at chess," she groaned.

"It's not that bad. Once you know the rules, you just have to think ahead!" A platform suddenly formed around the girls and Nex, and the ground they stood up rose and connected onto the tower above. "Ooh, sorry. I didn't see that coming," said Apple down to Raven.

"Don't worry, Raven. You've got this," assured Bloom encouragingly, "just follow Apple's advice."

"Logical and illogic; strategy and tragedy," announced a Red Rook form the other side of the board, "I am your instructor. Raven Queen, time for your quiz." He was standing atop an animate tower.

"What? A quiz? Can't someone else do it?"

"Nope, we must assume our positions on the board." He gestured towards his massive red chess pieces on his side of the field. "As a future queen, you will take the part of the White Queen. White Queen, step aside."

"I never get to play!" complained the chessboard's White Queen. She walked away in a dignified manner.

"Raven Queen, please take your position on the board," instructed the Red Rook.

"Um…okay." Raven started slowly across the chessboard. "Excuse me! Coming through!" she apologized as she walked past the large, anime chess pieces. She stepped onto the platform the White Queen had been standing on. "Is this right?"

"Ready? Begin!"

"Wait, what? What do I do?"

"Sorry, Ms. Queen, but the game has begun, and helping the enemy is against the rules." His tower immediately sifted back to its original spot on his red side of the board.

"Raven!" called down Apple, "see that pawn in front of you? Movie it forward two spaces!"

"Uh, okay." Raven called out to the pawn. "Mr. Pawn! Move forward two spaces!"

"Oh who orders then?" asked the pawn, turning around on its space on the board.

"Uh….Raven Queen?"

"Never heard of a Raven Queen. Heard of a White Queen and even a Red-" The pawn stopped short as he was suddenly knocked across the board by a lady in red using her scepter.

"Red Queen strikes again!" she declared, laughing. "Your turn, White Queen."

"But, wasn't _that_ my turn?"

"You say, your majesty, a turn's a turn and one of us turns,'" piped up another pawn, "say to talk to you, then it counts as a—ah!" He screamed as the Red Queen began knocking the white pawns all in a row.

"Wha—you-you can't do that, it's against the rules!" stammered Apple.

"Which you should know by now obviously doesn't apply here," cracked Stella.

"Stop talking to the pawns! Get away from them!" called down Lizzie.

"Ah, eh, okay!" Raven got off her pedestal and began running away.

"Red Knight to bishop seven!" commanded the Red Queen.

Raven gasped as the Red Knight appeared in front of her on his chess-piece stead. "Chase Redford?"

Chase took off his helmet. "Sorry, it's my mom," he said apologetically.

"The Red Queen is your mother?"

"Well, she raised me. It's a long story. Anyway, I just wanna say how-" He put his helmet back on. "-truly sorry I am that I have to…attack you."

"Attack me?" repeated Raven, becoming alert. She flinched and readied for his strike.

"Not while I still stand!" declared the White Knight, appearing out of nowhere. He jumped in front of Raven and fended off the Red Knight's attack.

"The White Knight!" exclaimed Kitty, "he came back!"

"Stop talking and attack!" ordered the Red Queen, "attack!"

"As you command, Mother," nodded the Red Knight. He and the White Knight then began to duel each other with their swords.

"Real swords?!" Briar seemed bewildered. "What kind of chess game is this?" She looked at Maddie. "Don't tell me this makes sense to you!"

"Of course it does!" nodded Maddie, "they're not playing chess at al—they're playing unchess! You can move your pieces any which way you want as long as it is not a chess move!"

"Wait, so we're playing unchess?" repeated Raven, who happened to overhear the others.

"My queen, I have blocked the attack," spoke out the White Knight, looking over his shoulder as he continued us duel with Chase. "What is your command?"

"Uh, you mean it's my turn?!"

"Yes my queen!"

"And I can issue any command I want?"

"Yes!" The White Knight actually started to sound a little distressed as Chase stepped up his game in their duel.

"Well then, if this is an _un_ -chess game, then, I…." Raven trailed off as she thought of a good move. "I declare this battle is now a dance-off!"

"What?"

"Good move, Raven!" called down Tecna as the others exclaimed in delight, "way to get creative."

"Oh, brilliant move by the White Queen!" announced the Red Rook, "drop the beat, yo." He span his turrets, which turned into turntables. His entire tower shrunk and two giant speaker boxes appeared.

"Uh, dancing? That-that's not what I'm trained for," stammered the Red Knight.

"That's what I'm counting on," laughed Raven. A blinking platform appeared under the White Knight and Red Knight. "use your imagination." She looked up to her friends. "Come on, guys! Chessboards are for chess pieces, but everyone's welcomed on the dance floor." The other cheered as two card slides appeared under their tower. They slid down them landed on the board.

"Let's see what you got," said the White Knight to the Red Knight, putting his fists on his hips.

"You can do this, Chase," Chase told himself.

"Dancing isn't that hard, Chase!" said Bloom, dancing along with her friends. "All you gotta do is just move!" Chase looked unsurely at the others and began dancing tamely.

"Oh please." The White Knight began to dance and the Red Knight started to let loose as he watched his opponent bust some moves.

"Really? Come on," groaned Chase, lifting his helmet as he watched the White Knight.

"This is fun!" squealed Maddie, dancing in a silly manner.

After another round of dancing, the Red Knight lost his balance and fell off the dance floor.

"The Red Knight has fallen! You pass!" declared the Red Rook.

"Woohoo! Nice job, Raven!" Nex high-fived Raven.

"Gee, that White Knight sure has some moves," commented Briar.

"I'm just glad he showed up," smiled Raven, "thank you, White Knight…" She and the others looked around, noticing the hero in white armor was gone. "Wherever you are."

The bell rang again and the White Rabbit appeared atop of the tower. "Oh dear, oh dear," he fretted over the microphone, "the time is one thirty and here are the announcements; the vice principal has declared that next Thursday shall fall on a Wednesday; the tortoise shell stop mocking the turtle, and Raven, Lizzie, Apple, Kitty, Briar, Maddie, Bloom, Stella, Tecna, and Nex's schedules have changed. You shall now report to Teatime 101

The ground beneath the group suddenly opened and sent them down like a trap door.

"Whoooaaa!" they all screamed.


	9. School Trial of Madness!

**Author's Note: Hey guys. I know, I did some changes to the last chapter. I was gonna add in a new class, but I decided: "Nah." I wanna go ahead and progress with the story and the adventure. Anyways, thanks so much to the ones who've read this story. Enjoy this next chapter and don't forget to review!**

 **When Brooke talks during her narration, I added single quotation marks so I wouldn't confuse anyone.**

 **~O~**

 **ღ** Alfea **ღ**

The Jabberwock pawed at the protective barrier, and in response to his touch, the barrier rippled. It hissed at it and stalked away from the school. There we no use. It couldn't get past the shield. At least, not now. The beast snarled and expanded its wings. It could come back later when the school was drained of more power. It was about to take off back to Cloud Tower, but something caught its attention.

It flared its nostrils as a powerful-smelling aroma filled its nose and fueled its body. What was this power it was sensing? The beast looked back at the pink school protected by the protective field. It cocked its head curiously. This odd power was emerging from the school and somehow slipping through its barrier.

It chirped in awe. This was dark power it was sensing. But how was it coming from a school of the good arts? The beast's eyes widened. This dark magic…it smelt like Wonderland, its precious homeland. But how? All the portals to Wonderland had been closed right before the Jabberwock had been sealed away into its prison in the Uni Carn.

Wait? Could it be…?

The Wonderland curse! It was somehow flowing out of Alfea. But, wouldn't that mean…? The school somehow had a working portal leading to Wonderland. And some of the curse of Wonderland had managed to pour out of it. The Jabberwock snarled again. This was perfect. The beast belonged in Wonderland. It needed to be there. And it was going to get there.

Once the pesky shields went down, he was going to desolate Alfea until he could find its Wonderlandian portal.

But until then, he was going to use its new power to create a new Wonderland.

The Jabberwock hissed admiringly at its cleverness. And with that, he leaped off the ground and flew towards Cloud Tower.

* * *

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

"I'll never get used to this," groaned Stella as she held her aching head. "This school seriously needs to invest in stairs or _something_." She stood up and looked around. "Where are we _now_?" The group was standing in a dark room.

Lizzie straightened herself up. "There. A doorway," she said, pointing at an illuminated doorway not far from them. She proceeded towards it, but walked into an invisible wall. "Huh?" Confused, Lizzie stepped back as the light turned on, revealing them to be trapped inside of a transparent box.

"This is our next class?" asked Nex as an audio of a crowd cheering began to play. "This is Teatime 101? Not exactly what I expected."

Tecna nodded. "What's the objective here? I don't under-"

"Haha, welcome class! I see you're ready," announced a March hare, appearing outside the box. "Teatime has commenced!" He hopped over to a pull-down lever and the box the gang was trapped in immediately began to spew a liquid out of its drain.

"What is this? What's going on?" meowed Kitty in distress as the liquid completely covered the floor.

"This is _never_ how teatime works!" cried out Lizzie as the red liquid came up to their knees.

"Where are all the bred and butterflies?" asked Maddie, looking uncharacteristically worried. "And there are no chairs to switch places!"

"It's confirmed: I officially _hate_ school in Wonderland," said Stella as the tea began to rise higher.

"It's too much tea—how do we make it stop?" panicked Raven.

Maddie walked over to the edge of the box and knocked on the glass. "Excuse me, Mister March Hare?" she spoke up. The March Hare walked over. "Um, a little help please?"

"Look at me, hahahaha," joked the March Hare as the tea rose on the other side of the glass rose to a height above his head, "I'm standing three feet below tea level, haha." A device attached to a cord dropped down from the ceiling and the March Hare pressed a button on it that let out hysterical laughter to his queer joke.

"Riaow!" meowed Kitty, panting. "What are we supposed to do?" The rising tea level began to carry them up towards the top of the box.

"We're almost at the top, think fast everyone!" exclaimed Apple, placing her hands against the ceiling. "Before we run out of time!"

"Oh, it's too hard to think in here," frowned Raven, "I wish we could, I don't know, think out there instead." And with that statement, Raven poofed out of the box, appearing on top of it. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, looking down at her friends, who remained inside the box.

"Raven! How did you do that?" asked Apple as hers and her friends' heads hit the ceiling. It wouldn't be long before the tea came up over the mouths.

"I don't know….I guess I just thought outside the box!"

Tecna gasped, catching on. "Raven, that's genius! It appears everything here is taken literally, so the expression 'think outside the box' literally applies to our situation!" Tecna closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, appearing to be thinking hard about something. She immediately transported outside the box, beside Raven. One by one, the others followed her example and transported out of the deathtrap.

"Well, here goes nothing!" said Apple. She took a deep breath and sunk to the bottom, only to appear outside with everyone else. "We…we did it!" she exclaimed.

"And just in time, too. You never wanna let your tea steep for too long," joked Maddie, making Apple and Raven laugh. The March Hare's laughing audio sounded around them as well.

"Let's never do that again," shivered Bloom as tea dripped down their faces and off their clothes.

"Looks like it's time for a little power of the shining sun," commented Stella, snapping her fingers. Warming heat rays encircled their bodies, completely drying them of the chilly red liquid. "There we go. All nice and dry."

"You've passed, hahahaha," chuckled the March Hare, pushing the audio button which released a sound of cheering. "I'm off to find a cup of sugar for my cube of tea," he joked whimsically, motioning towards the huge box of tea. And with that, he pressed a button, making the group disappear.

 **~O~**

They reappeared in the hallway. "Yikes! Watch out!" exclaimed Bloom immediately as a giant heel nearly stepped on them.

"We've shrunk!" said Apple as they jumped out of the way.

"Or the school's grown huge!" considered Raven.

"Yes, sometimes it's hard to tell—ah!" Lizzie squeaked as the ground shook, the result of another huge student walking by. She winced. "That's it! I, for one, have had quite enough! It's high time we see the vice principal!"

""But, uhm, how do we get to the office?" asked Briar with a shrug.

"And how do we grow bigger to our regular size?" added Nex, "or make the school shrink down back to normal?"

"This is the only door we can reach," announced Maddie, walking over to a red door craved into the baseboard, "so it's clearly the right one to use." She held the door open for her friends.

"I'll never get used to Wonderland logic," chuckled Raven. The door led them into a narrow hallway, whose walls were aligned with fancy, odd-shaped mirrors. The further they proceeded down it, the lower the ceilings seemed to get. Eventually, they found themselves crawling.

Lizzie, who was leading the party, guided them towards a small red door at the end of the corridor. She crawled through it, finding a pendulum and a higher-up sitting at their desk. She stood up, realizing their surroundings were once again at their regular size.

"Vice principal, glad I caught you," she began, walking up to the desk. Someone was sitting in a tall red chair on the other side, their face towards the window and back facing Lizzie. "I acquire a word. My name is Lizzie Hearts, daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and my friends and I need your help." She gestured towards her friends who were crawling into the room.

"We need to graduate, but our classes keep changing," informed Raven. The others nodded in unison.

"The classes are getting dangerous!" meowed Kitty.

"And they're getting harder and harder to pass," added Bloom.

"We nearly _drowned_ a few minutes ago," remarked Stella, putting a hand on her hips.

"Oh, that sounds simply dreadful," cackled a familiar voice. The chair swiveled around, revealing Courtly Jester. Everyone gasped.

"Courtly? But I thought she was the president of the student council," recalled Nex.

Courtly scoffed. "If you ever bothered reading the school's bylaws, you'd know! That as a student council president, I am also the acting vice principal. And as vice principal, I am also principal. See? It's a matter of principle."

"But then you can help us!" exclaimed Apple, "Okay, Lizzie's mom is in danger-"

"Oh, and you really want to get to her birthday party by teatime," finished Courtly, "or she'll _never_ hear about the plot to kick her off the throne! Ah, what a shame school isn't over with." She kneeled on her desk and continued playing with her pendulum.

"You're the vice principal! You can release us," pointed out Tecna, "things might be different here in Wonderland, but I'm sure you still hold authority like regular principals."

"Oh, but look!" Courtly gestured towards a giant, flashing clock on their right. "It's only eleven o'clock in the morning! School never lets out at eleven."

"Eleven o'clock?" repeated Stella, her mouth dropping open.

"Time is going backwards? But that's impossible!" cried out Apple.

"Forget the clock! As your future queen, I, Lizzie Hearts, command you to release us at once," demanded Lizzie firmly.

"Command, do you?" said Courtly, standing up and starting over to the clock. "Well, my clocks are what count in _my_ school, and this one says it will never be three o'clock!" She cackled and pulled a lever underneath the clock, sending it spinning out of control.

"That's cheating!" meowed Kitty in distress.

"My mother will hear of this," assured Lizzie angrily.

"Ha! Your mother? What'll I care about your mother?" Courtly cartwheeled onto her desk. "She won't _be_ queen for much longer."

Maddie made her statement happily. "Why, it's-" She shook her head. "It's as if you almost want the plan to overthrow her mother to succeed."

Courtly blinked at Maddie's obviousness. "OF COURSE I DO!" she shouted, angrily stomping her foot on her desk. "Because it's mine!" Everyone gasped.

"You—you're the traitor?!" Even Lizzie seemed shocked.

"You think you're _so_ special 'cause you were born to become a queen!" said Courtly, cartwheeling down to Lizzie. "But, you forget! A joker can be anything she wants! Hahaha!" She cartwheeled over to the girls and Nex. "A joker becomes a queen! It happens all the time! The joker becomes the queen! It happens all the time!" she sang. Seeing the non Wonderlandians were clueless, she asked in disgust: "Ah, don't you ever play cards?"

Lizzie became enraged. Ooh…OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" she shouted, storming over to Courtly.

"SECURITY CARDS!" shouted Courtly, holding Lizzie back. Immediately, card soldiers appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the girls and Nex. "Escort these students back to their classes, where they will spend the rest of their lives!" The jester began to cackle sinisterly.

"And I seriously thought the Trix were bad," said Stella, shaking her head and putting a hand on her hip.

"Courtly Jester! You may be a joker, but this isn't funny! You'll pay for this!" promised Lizzie, hissing helplessly at the joker. Although she wanted to claw the joker's eyes out, she couldn't move due to the two card soldiers blocking her way with their swords.

"Hoh! Not when _I_ am the new queen!" countered Courtly, poking Lizzie's nose.

"That's not gotta happen, Courtly," assured Nex determinedly.

"We'll never let you become the queen," added Apple with a nod.

"Oh really? This is my school, and we follow my rules, and I can do whatever I want! If you really want to graduate to leave here…" She snickered and began whispered, "It's easy." She pulled a lever and a long pink scroll rolled down from the ceiling, stopping at Lizzie's feet. "This contract stipulates that you've signed over all your rights as the heiress to the Queen of Hearts's throne...to me," she explained to Lizzie quickly, smiling.

"Never!"

"It's a simple choice, Lizzie Hearts," said Courtly calmly, taking out a pen. "You—and your friends—can spend the rest of your lives here at school, or! Voluntarily, sign on the dotted line." She handed Lizzie the pen and paper.

"I—but—my friends will be free?" asked Lizzie uncertainly.

"Woah! Don't do it Lizzie!" said Maddie worriedly.

"Guys, we have magic! Can't we just stop Courtly like we do the Trix?" whispered Stella to Bloom and Tecna. "It should be easy since she doesn't have magic, right?"

Bloom shook her head. "We can't risk Lizzie's life," she replied lowly, bobbing her head towards the animate cards guarding the Princess of Hearts.

"Lizzie, you can't let Courtly win! She'll become queen of Wonderland!" pointed out Tecna calmly.

"But Tecna, she'll let us go. If we stay here, we're doomed anyway," said Lizzie slowly, looking at the contract.

"Lizzie, listen to me," began Raven, "you have to be the Queen of Hearts! It's…your destiny!"

"Raven?!" Apple's eyes widened in amazement.

"I know, I've never been really big on destiny. But look, sometimes following your heart, and following your destiny are the same thing! Your heart has always been set on being the next queen, Lizzie. You can't give up on it now!"

"How heartfelt," said Courtly, glaring at Raven. She then frowned harshly at Lizzie. "Just. Sign. The contract!"

"I…I won't!" said Lizzie, once again finding her voice. She threw the scroll onto the ground and snapped the pen in half.

Courtly hissed. "Then, you are condemned to detention!" she shouted angrily. "You're making the wrong decision, Lizzie Hearts! You could've just peacefully signed over your birthright and then you and your friends would be set free. But now, you have detention and I'll still become queen!"

"Detention?" repeated Nex, "that's it?"

The White Rabbit appeared to the heroes' rescue. "Uh...uh, vice principal," he spoke up shakily but boldly, "Wonderland school rules say you cannot give them detention without a—uh..." He trailed off as Courtly inched towards him, forcing him into a corner.

"Without a what?" Courtly narrowed her eyes at the rabbit, daring him to continue.

"Without a... A disciplinary trial. At the school court," said the White Rabbit, shaking frantically.

Courtly began laughing hysterically. "Why'd I permit that?"

"Actually, it's…your rule."

Courtly stopped short. "Is it? Then it must be followed! A trial would be a fun way to find you guilty! Summon the witnesses! Prepare the court." She snapped her fingers and the door opened behind the heroes.

"This…isn't going to end well," groaned Tecna as the card guards led them out of the office.

"Raow, quit shoving!" hissed Kitty at one of the guards.

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

"Ugh, they have to be around here somewhere," said Bunny as she and Alistair ascended the staircase leading into one of Ever After High's tall towers.

"There is no more 'around here somewhere'," said Alistair with a frown, looking out of the window that overlooked the rest of the campus. "We searched the entire school."

Bunny sat down on an old trunk. "Well," she smiled, patting the trunk. "We didn't search this-" She exclaimed in surprise and jumped up as the trunk began to move and shout.

"Hello! In here!" shouted the voice.

"Maddie? Lizzie?" Bunny bent down and unlocked the trunk to see Dexter Charming cramped up inside it.

"Ah, no. It's kinda only me, Dexter. I was looking for my sister, Darling, and I sorta fell in there," explained Dexter as Bunny helped him out of the trunk.

"Wait, Darling disappeared too?" asked Alistair.

"She never showed up for lunch. Daring and I have been searching for her ever since."

"We saw her in the Study Hall, just before Raven, Apple, Briar, Kitty, and Maddie all disappeared," informed Bunny.

"Wait, R-Raven's missing too?" asked Dexter with concern, becoming very worried.

Outside the tower, a dragon suddenly flew by. "Yo, little bro!" called Daring Charming as he and his dragon, Legend, appeared outside the window. "Good news! I've guessed where Darling is! Climb on!" He was seated on Legend's head, holding on to his pointy horns.

"Ah, I don't know Daring," said Dexter nervously, pointing at Legend. "You just got your license to fly one of those."

"Oh, come on, you only live once upon a time!" exclaimed Daring with a regal chuckle. Dexter, Alistair, and Bunny exchanged glances. Did they really have a choice? Bunny climbed up onto the windowsill and boarded Legend, Alistair and Dexter right behind her. Soon enough, they were sailing above campus on dragon back.

"The way I see it, Darling just ran off to the... wait for it... library!" declared Daring like he had just solved an extremely difficult math problem.

"She has been doing an awful lot of research lately," nodded Dexter, who was holding on to Legend's back nervously.

Daring chuckled to himself. "Bookworm Darling and klutzy Dexter. Ah-haha! It's hard to believe how you two are my siblings sometimes." He was too busy talking, he steered Legend straight into Ever After High. They all screamed as they fell from downward through the building.

"I knew this wasn't safe!" cried out Dexter as Legend flew through a wall and out into the front campus. They landed on the ground, where a cop was already waiting for them, ready to press charges.

"Um, you all go in without me," chuckled Daring nervously as the cop began to scribble something on his notepad.

* * *

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

"I have been appointed as your defense counselor for school court," explained the White Rabbit as he, the guards, and the heroes proceeded through the checked halls of Wonderland High. "Now please, hop along! We're late!" He hopped ahead of them, looking at his pocket watch nervously.

"You've gotta let us go!" pleaded Raven, looking up at the card solider beside her, "please, have a heart."

"Can't have a heart. I'm diamonds," replied the animate playing card, pointing at the red diamond in his center.

"If this is anything like the trials of justice on the other planets, we might have a shot at winning this," said Tecna hopefully, "all we need are trustworthy witnesses and a fair judge. When it's our turn to state our case, all we have to do is answer truthfully and everything should play out as long as no one says or does anything stupid."

"Why do I feel like that's pointed at me?" asked Nex dully, raising an eyebrow.

"Shuffle along now; keep your face down, play your cards right, and maybe they'll catch you a deal," said one of the cards to Lizzie quietly as they entered the courtroom. The guards stopped at the entrance as the heroes proceeded forward.

The courtroom was designed just like the rest of the school, and to both sides were crowds of students and teachers sitting higher up, looking down at the heroes distastefully. As the group neared the giant podium towering above them, a fence suddenly enclosed them and the portion of the floor they were standing on elevated.

A huge caterpillar appeared at the top of the podium. "Who are you?" he asked slowly, frowning down at the girls and Nex.

"I am Lizzie Hearts! Daughter of _the_ Queen of Hearts," declared Lizzie loudly. She pointed at the judge. "And _you_ are in a lot of trouble."

The crowd and students simply laughed at her remark. "If we were in trouble, it stands to reason that we would be the ones on trial," said the caterpillar judge with a smirk, "and yet, there you are. Therefore, it follows that you, not we, are the ones in trouble. That's logic."

"Oh, makes sense to me," giggled Maddie.

"Whose side are you on?" demanded Lizzie, putting her hands on her hips.

"Let _me_ handle this," spoke up Stella, stepping in front of the others. "I have a way with people." She cleared her throat and declared, "Your Honorable, this is all a misunderstanding!"

"And what don't you understand?" asked the judge.

"What? No, not us! _You_! You all are the ones who misunderstand."

"See, we came to this school by accident," explained Raven quickly, gently pushing Stella aside.

"And we aren't being allowed to graduate," added Bloom.

"Why should you graduate when you're misunderstanding? Understanding is the point of education! And, you've said yourselves you've missed it," countered the judge matter-of-factly. Tecna facepalmed and shook her head.

"No! You're twisting our words!" cried out Apple, "this is all happening because of that-that-that _horrible_ Courtly Jester!" The crowd gasped at Apple's declaration and then silenced as the entrance flew open.

"What was that about us not saying anything stupid?" asked Nex sarcastically as Courtly appeared in the doorway.

"All rise for her prosecutorial excellence, Courtly Jester!" announced the White Rabbit, his ears drooping.

"Oh no," groaned Bloom as the jester made her dramatic entrance.

"No need to rise on my account. I am but a humble public servant!" said Courtly calmly and innocently, jumping over to the public seating. She took a small bow and added, "With _vast powers over each and every one of you_." Using the support of a staff member's head, she cartwheeled over onto the judge's desk. "So, where were we?" she asked, poking his nose.

"They've plead their case, I'm not convinced."

"What, we hardly said anything!" grumbled Nex.

"You are our counselor," pointed out Raven, looking over the railing and down at the White Rabbit. "Aren't you supposed to be helping us?"

"Yes. In time," responded the White Rabbit, looking at his watch.

"Time? For what?" asked Apple.

"Time to read the charges!" exclaimed Courtly, lightly cartwheeling down onto the floor in front of them. "We, and—by we I mean I—the vice-principal and future queen of Wonderland, hereby charge these six girls with: unruliness!" The crowd gasped. "If found innocent. Yeah, no way, won't happen. They will be allowed to graduate, when guilty." She began cartwheeling all over the courtroom. "Then it's detention for life. Or, off with their heads!"

She startled the judge by appearing beside him. "Whichever comes first," she giggled, "once I am queen I'm never gonna get tired of saying that!" And with that, she began to cackle wickedly.

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

'And so, the friends back at Ever After searched in vain for the missing girls. Oh, if only I could tell them! But they can't hear the narrator.'

"Ugh, it looks like they aren't here either," said Bunny disappointedly as she, Alistair, and Dexter regrouped in the center of the library.

"Oh, Raven!" Dexter perked up and ran up to a pile of books covering up a stranger's face who looked uncannily similar to Raven. He swiped the pile of books but found Duchess Swan instead.

"As if," scoffed the swan princess, who had a phone pressed against her ear. "And like, no talking in the library!" Dexter groaned and ironically, Duchess went back to talking on the phone with someone. "So anyway, she was like 'yes way'…"

"I just don't understand," sighed Alistair.

"They're not here," frowned Dexter, rejoining his friends.

Duchess stood up and scowled. "Excuse me! This is a library! Some people are trying to study here. And into her phone, she said, "What? No, not me!"

"Shhhh," hissed the Evil Step Librarians.

'Oh - that got everybody's attention! Hey, wait a page, if the Evil Queen can push a book off a shelf from inside her mirror, perhaps this narrator can-' Brooke, the disembodied narrator, tried to interact with the objects in the library. To her success, a book fell of a shelf. 'Yes, it worked! Oh, if only I could use it to tell Bunny and the others where their friends are! But how...?'

* * *

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

"Disorder! Disorder! Disorder!" shouted the judge, using his multiple hands to pound multiple gravels on the podium in an attempt to calm the shouting crowds. Once everyone calmed down, he declared, "I call the first witness!"

The girls gasped as the Red Knight dutifully walked past them, taking his position at the lower podium beside the judge's tall one. "So, Chase Redford the Red Knight," began Courtly, pacing in front of him. "from what I understand, you caught these students sneaking onto school properly!" She cartwheeled over to the heroes.

"Not fair! We weren't even students here," argued Stella.

"But of course you were students here, because you were on my school grounds. Isn't that the rule?" asked Courtly slyly.

"It is," nodded Chase, "and I am duty-bound to follow it. Rules are rules."

"When they received their class assignments, what did they do?" asked Courtly, folding her arms across her chest.

"I guess they sort of sped off down the hallway," responded Chase.

"So you might say they were running in the halls?" The staff gasped at Courtly.

"Technically…..yes?"

"That's ridiculous!" protested Lizzie, "the _halls_ were running! We were just standing on them!"

With a fake gasp, Courtly said, "You naughty, sassy girl! Now you're talking back!" She jumped atop the judge's podium and pointed down at them. "These people first sneaked onto school grounds, and then were seen running in the hallways! And now, they're talking back! One rule! Heedlessly broken after another - can there be any doubt? They're unruly!" The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Quiet in the court!" declared the judge, pounding his gravels against the podium. "How do you plead? Guilty, or extremely guilty?"

"What? Guilty?" repeated the White Rabbit, gasping frantically.

"Very well then. Guilty as charged!"

"What? That's not what I meant!"

"Eternal detention for life!" shouted the judge, rising from his seat.

Kitty, who was overwhelmed, shouted out at Courtly. "You'll have a hard time taking over Lizzie's destiny without the Storybook of Legends! And my mom, the Cheshire Cat, has it. So there!" She then covered her mouth and gasped.

"The Storybook of Legends? Here? In Wonderland?" repeated Courtly, becoming interested. "Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho, how the plot thickens... Sorry Lizzie, the deal is off. I don't need you to sign the contract. I just need to sign your page in the Storybook of Legends and your destiny is mine!"

And with that, the judge declared the trail over.


	10. Help Is On the Way

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I needed to get motivated again, so I ended up listening to a whole bunch of Winx Club songs. In the past when I usually got unmotivated, I just looked at the story reviews. For my old story, there was always this one Guest user who left like 6 or more reviews for every chapter. Her continual reviews always inspired me. But for this story, she only reviewed one chapter, which kinda makes me feel a little sad. If you're that Guest user, then I NEED YOU. FOR REAL. You inspire me so much, and it makes me feel special to see your reviews.**

 **Well, anyways, enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review! Oh, and remember: words inside the single quotation or ' ' is Brooke, the narrator, speaking outside her narration. Also, sorry if this chapter is a little stupid. I just threw something quick together.**

* * *

 **~O~**

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

Courtly Jester giggled deviously to herself as she took her position at her desk in the vice principal's office. "Red Knight to my office at once," said Courtly over the intercom. She began to apply lipstick to her lips and she walked over to the mirrors on the wall. "Once I crash the Queen of Heart's birthday party, I'll take the Storybook of Legends from the Cheshire Cat," she said to herself, using her lipstick to draw a crown above her reflection in the mirror. "We'll see who's grinning then. Hm-hm!" she chuckled, drawing a smile on the glass. She began to cackle.

* * *

 **ღ** The Mirror Realm **ღ**

"Scheme, my little fool," cackle the Evil Queen, approaching the looking glass. A red crown and smile was scribbled on the other side of the looking glass, which happened to be the mirror Courtly was standing in front of on the other side. "You have been quite a pleasant surprise. My own daughter might resist the call of evil, but you seem more than game."

"Rats! I forgot!" frowned Courtly on the other side of the looking glass, "the Cheshire Cat can turn invisible! How can my card tricks compete with that?" She bit her lip and began to pace around her office in deep thought.

"Hmm, looks like Courtly could use a little help," said the Evil Queen to herself, "my evil influence, of course, speaks volumes. With a cackle, she raised her fist and pounded it against the looking glass. Dark magic began to ripple in the looking glass, and on the other side of it, a book fell off one of Courtly's bookshelves.

"Who's there?" asked Courtly, looking around in alert. She then noticed the book on the floor by her feet.

"Read a little, Jester. Read your fill," cackled the Evil Queen as Courtly bent down to pick up the book, "then rule over Wonderland while I bend the world to my will."And with more cackling, the Evil Queen began to walk backwards into the hazy darkness of the Mirror Realm.

* * *

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

"A Book of Evil Spells"?" read aloud Courtly from the cover of the book as she picked it up. The cover of the book was black and jeweled with silver and red gems. She opened it and read aloud from the front page. "Property of the Evil Quee-" She gasped in realization. "Yes. Yes! Ohhh." She began to giggle and flip through the book's pages as she leaned on the front of her desk. "Oh security cards," she sang.

At the sound of her voice, two card soldiers appeared. "Now. Let's see what I can do with my new toy," giggled Courtly. She turned to one of the pages and began to chant the spell listed on the page. "Time for you to prove your worth, I curse you now to crawl the earth!" she recited, holding out her hand. And just like that, she released a dark blue magic blast that made the card guards shrink.

"At your service, Ms. Jester!" both of the guards saluted.

"Ooh, my own evil powers!" squealed Courtly, dropping down to her knees to look at her mini brain-washed guards. "What fun this will be."

The Red Knight cleared his throat as he suddenly appeared in front of Courtly. "You summoned me?"

"Ah, yes, Red Knight." Courtly quickly jumped back up to her feet, pressing her book of spells against her chest. The Queen of Hearts's birthday party starts in half an hour."

"Uh…" Chase began to look uneasy.

"I am placing you in charge of the school until I return."

Chase saluted. "Yes ma'am. In charge."

"You know my rules," said Courtly, hanging upside down from the ceiling. "You're not to break a single one of them."

"Rules," sighed Chase as the swing Courtly was dangling from began to rise up, "are rules."

 **~O~**

"Hey! Enough with the shoving!" hissed Stella as the card soldiers pushed her and the others into a classroom. "That's like… super rude!" The guards ignore her an slammed the door shut, leaving the heroes to their fate of eternal detention.

"What is this place?" frowned Bloom, looking around the room with uncharacteristic disgust. The ceilings were dripping green goo and water, which was leaking down into the centimeters-high puddles on the floor. To protect their feet from the swampy water, the girls and Nex stepped onto the huge lily pads floating atop the water.

"And who's that?" added Stella, pointing to the hybrid animal snoring at the front desk. The desk seemed to sit atop some form of rocky lump that nearly reached the ceiling.

"I am the mockturtle," responded the animal, waking up a little. "But do not mock me. For I am every bit as good as a real turtle! This is detention, there is no escape." And with those few words, he went back to his snoring.

"Quick! Let's escape," whispered Kitty.

Bloom nodded and led the others to the door. Glancing cautiously at the mockturtle, she slowly opened the door and walked through it with the others following behind her. "That was easy," said Bloom lowly, closing the door behind her. She then gasped when she noticed they were now standing in the exact same room.

"What? No! It can't be!" exclaimed Apple, glancing at the mockturtle who was still snoring at his desk. "We're right back where we started!"

"This is extremely illogical, so it all has to just be an illusion," suggested Tecna with a frown. Bloom nodded

"Well, let's try this again," said Bloom in a whisper, starting towards the door by the front desk. The heroes slowly walked through the door, which led them into the same classroom with the same snoring mockturtle.

"What? How are we here again?" meowed Kitty in distress. Everyone looked at Tecna.

"A very good illusion," added the fairy of technology, "let's try one more time."

Bloom shrugged and the heroes proceeded through the door once more. And just like the other times, it led them into the same classroom. "There's no way out!" exclaimed Briar.

"I'm sorry guys," frowned Raven, slouching slightly. "I'm so, so sorry I brought us to Wonderland." She looked at the three Winx and Nex. "And I'm sorry I got you into this mess."

"This isn't your fault, Raven." Bloom smiled weakly and reached out to squeeze the girl's shoulder.

"My mother. I can't save her from Courtly," sniffled Lizzie, her voice breaking. "There's nothing I can do." And with that, she began to sob into her hands.

"Don't worry, Lizzie. I know we'll find a way out of here," assured Stella as the others tried to comfort the Princess of Hearts. "Somehow."

 **~O~**

Meanwhile, on the Wonderland High premises, the White Rabbit was digging a whole out of the ground. "Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear," he fretted, merging from the hole and hopping through the pink grasses. He ran forward, accidentally running into the White Knight's steed, causing him to fall. "Oh dear! I'm afraid I made things much much worse. The girls are in detention for life!" informed the White Rabbit quickly, jumping back to his feet.

"And the jester?" asked the White Knight from atop his horse.

"Courtly is on her way to the queen's birthday party to find the Storybook of Legends and use it to take over Wonderland. Can you stop her?" asked the White Rabbit, successfully hopping up onto the steed's head after a few failed attempts.

"First things first," responded the White Knight in a strong voice, "those girls are my friends and we will never rest until they are free."

'Ugh! Things are getting so intense! If only there was a way for me to help….'

 **~O~**

"Uhhh," mused Raven thoughtfully, ducking under a dripping pipe as she paced around the detention room. She and the others were thinking of a way to get out of their predicament.

"Maybe we can use magic!" suggested Stella hopefully, standing atop of the benches that were placed on the giant, floating lily pads.

Raven nodded hopefully. "I could try to use my teleportation powers again."

Tecna, who was seated at one o the tables, shook her head. "Remember: the curse of Wonderland is right on top of us. Its dark magic is so strong, it could greatly affect our magic in a negative way. And besides, even if we could use magic, I honestly think we'll just end up here again."

Lizzie gasped and grabbed hold of Kitty's tail watch. "My mother's birthday party starts in only a few minutes! Is there no way to escape here?"

"I would teleport out of here to get help, but my powers aren't working!" frowned Kitty. She jumped up onto a cabinet and smiled widely in an attempt to activate her magical teleportation powers. Her body began to fade away, but then quickly reappeared. "See? No good." Her ears drooped in defeat.

"This could take a hundred years," worried aloud Briar.

Aww, chin up. You could sleep right through it, Briar," snickered Maddie. Briar facepalmed and groaned.

"Okay everyone, we just need to stay calm and think about the problem logically," advised Apple, "maybe there's something in this room that could help us escape, or give us a clue." She stood up and grabbed a book.

Lizzie slowly proceeded over to the giant block on the wall. She reached out to touch it, but drew back as the clock's hand loudly rotated to the next minute. Nex proceeded through the second door by one of the bookshelves just to come back into the room through the door by the sleeping mockturtle's desk. Tecna attempted to reconnect her phone to the school's wi-fi but let out a sound of annoyance as her phone rejected the request. Raven, who was still pacing around the room, accidentally stepped into the icky green water and frowned in disgust. Still atop the cabinet, Kitty was ripping out the pages of a book in frustration. And as if to emphasize their frustration, the teakettle attached to Maddie's hat was loudly releasing steam.

Some goo from the pipe dripped down onto Raven's forehead. "Ew! This place is extremely icky," she frowned, wiping away the goo. "Someone better think of something fast!"

"We tried everything," said Kitty.

"And the only door out leads us right back in," added Briar quickly.

"We really _will_ be trapped in here for life!" panicked Lizzie.

"That's longer than forever," added Maddie with a gasp. And with that, everyone began to frantically murmur in panic.

'And so, the heroes spent their first full minute in detention. I so wanna help! If only I could do more than just push a book around.'

"Brooke, you can push books of a shelf? That's hat-tastic!" exclaimed Maddie at the ceiling.

"Who is she talking to?" asked Stella, looking at Maddie oddly.

"She thinks she can talk to 'narrators'", air quoted Raven.

"Narrators? Like this is some kind of story?" Bloom raised a questioning eyebrow.

Quiet in class, if you please!" exclaimed Maddie, "I am trying to communicate with our invisible friend! Narrator, we need your help!"

'I'd love to help you, Maddie - but narrators have rules, too. Besides, I don't know how!'

Maddie gasped a craving in the ceiling. "Look at that teacup drawing!" she exclaimed, pointing upwards. "It's over there too!" she added, pointing at the giant wall clock. And there, and there!" She began to point at objects all over the classroom. "That's it!" She hurried over to the mockturtle's desk and pointed at the curling MH attached to the teacup craving. "Those are my dad's, the Mad Hatter's, initials. He used to be in detention all the time! In fact, he was famous for getting out of detention."

"You mean getting _into_ detention," corrected Nex.

"Nope, getting out."

Apple perked up. "So there is a way out! But, how can we ask the Mad Hatter? No one even knows to look for us here."

'True, but don't forget. Alistair, Dexter and Bunny know you're missing. They're in the library working on how to find you right now. And the others back at Alfea! Maybe they can help, too!'

"Bunny and Alistair! They're looking for us right now!" Maddie told the Wonderlandians and Ever Afterlings excitedly, "the Narrator just told me so." She looked at the Winx and Nex. "She also said your friends at Alfea can help, too."

'Hold on for second, Maddie. My narrator vibes are tickling. I'll be right back. I'm gonna see what I can do to help.'

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

Headmaster Grimm settled into his chair as the bell rang, indicating the end of the school day. He had a long day. First, there had been in explosion in the science and sorcery classroom, and then a spell in Magicology backfired and turned the entire class into frogs. Sometimes, Milton Grimm's job as headmaster at Ever After High was very complicated. He had to deal with this sudden rebellion, plus carry the burden of keeping all these secrets….

He stood up and walked over to the full length mirror beside the bookshelf. The centuries-old man placed his hand against the mirror's glass and it began to ripple with magic. "Hm. I'm surprised this portal still responses to magic," said Grimm to himself, "I was sure it was inactive after all these years." He couldn't help but smile at his old memories.

His smile then disappeared when he felt something brush against the back of his leg. He looked down to see a little hedgehog at his feet. It was looking up at him with wide eyes. Grimm frowned. The animal must've gotten loose from the beast training and care classroom. Honestly, it didn't matter what he did. His school never seemed to be in order like it used to be. But not to worry about that now. Grimm turned his attention back to the mirror.

There were many times when he wanted to use the portal inside the mirror again. To see her. "Pull yourself together, Grimm. Ever After had to be sealed off from the rest of the magic universe for a reason. Faragonda is my past."

'Wait. The headmaster of Ever After High knew the headmistress of Alfea? But…how?'

Faragonda. He could feel her presence just by touching the mirror. Like she was just on the other side. Grimm shook out of his memories. That was all a thing of the past. Besides, he had other things to worry about as the headmaster of a school. More important things. "That's all in the past now, Milton," Grimm told himself, clasping his hands behind his back as he proceeded to exit the room. "There's nothing you can do about it now."

* * *

 **ღ** Alfea **ღ**

Faragonda looked out at the ruined Alfea campus outside. The Trix's attack had really damaged the school. And it would end up looking much worse if the shield went down before the Winx got back. And speaking of the Winx, Faragonda hoped that they and Nex made it to Wonderland safely. She wasn't for sure if the portal still functioned properly after the Evil Queen had cursed Wonderland and all its portals.

The Evil Queen. The last time she had spoken with Milton, he said she was sealed away in the Mirror Realm, where she could never escape and wreak havoc on the other realms and worlds like she did Wonderland. But then again, that was many years ago. Things could've changed and Milton never again contacted her.

The headmistress frowned sadly at that name. She reached out and opened the top drawer of her desk. The lady then took out a picture and stared at it longingly. It was an old photograph of her and Milton Grimm when they were both younger. When they were both a part of the Company of Light.

The lady set the photo on her desk and walked over to the full length mirror by her shelf. Though it appeared to be a simple mirror, it was really a portal. A portal she had used to visit Ever After and Wonderland back when they were a part of Magix. Milton had one just like it. They used to use their portals all the time.

Faragonda wondered if it still worked. She hadn't used it in such a long time. She reached and placed her hand against the glass. A warm feeling overcame her. She could feel his presence just by touching the mirror. It was nearly like he was just on the other side.

"That's all in the past now," Faragonda told herself, walking away from the mirror. "I have more important things to worry about. Like the welfare of my students." And with that, the lady exited her office.

'Wait! So Grimm's mirror leads to Alfea in Magix while Faragonda's leads to Wonderland and Ever After? And since the Wonderlandian portals have been closed, that means it just leads straight to Ever After, specifically Ever After High where Grimm's mirror is. I can use this to help out the others! Think Brooke, think! You have to do something-"

"Headmistress?" called a sudden voice.

 **~O~**

"Headmistress?" called out Roxy, slowly opening the door leading into the headmistress's office. She stepped into the room and looked around. Usually, Faragonda would be seated at her desk, but she wasn't there. "Hm. I thought she was here," said Roxy with a small shrug.

'Wait! Roxy! She can help! As a fairy, she's good with magic, right? Maybe she can help Alistair and the others back at Ever After High! Together, they can find a way to get the others out of detention! But how? I can't interact with the characters of the story. That's against the rules, and nearly impossible.'

"Huh? What's that?" wondered aloud Roxy curiously, noticing the picture frame on the headmistress's desk. She walked over and picked up the photo. "I wonder who this is," she said to herself, looking at the picture. It appeared to be a photo of Faragonda when she was younger. And she was with a slightly stout man with black hair.

'Roxy needs to use Ms. Faragonda's portal to get to Ever After High. But she can't hear me like Maddie can. Ugh, what am I supposed to do now? *gasp* Hold on! I was able to interact with that book earlier. Maybe I can interact with the objects to direct Roxy towards the mirror!'

As Roxy was setting the picture frame back where she found it, she heard the sound of something shifting. "Huh?" The fairy looked up and around the room. "What was that? Pixies?" As she was looking at the portion of the room to her right, she heard the noise coming from the left. Roxy sharply turned her head in the direction of the noise. "Are you pixies trying to sneak up on me again? It won't work this time."

Just as Roxy was proceeding towards the tall filing cabinet to see if any pixies were hiding inside, she heard the noise again. The girl turned around sharply on her heels. She definitely wasn't alone.

'Yes! I got her attention! Let me try again…'

Roxy startled as the mirror on the wall shifted, making that noise again. "It was…the mirror?" Roxy asked herself, slowly approaching it. It seemed as if _everything_ in the magic universe was enchanted with some sort of magic.

'Yes, just a little bit closer…'

For some odd reason, Roxy couldn't help but feel just a little bit drawn to the mirror. Like it was somehow calling out to her. The fairy reached out and touched the glass. She drew back as a strong surge of magic coursed through her fingertips. "This mirror _is_ magic!" exclaimed Roxy. She had read about this in fairytales before. The fairy reached out to touch the glass again. But this time, her fingers went _through_ the glass. "Huh?"

Before she knew about magic, Roxy would've been frightened. But not the fairy Roxy. The girl bravely continued forward, her body somehow walking through the glass. Almost like a portal. Choosing not to think of what might be on the other side, Roxy pressed forward.

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

"What is this place?" asked Roxy as she walked into a totally different room. The room she was now standing in looked like some office like the headmistress's.

'Yes! It worked! Roxy's magic must've somehow activated the portal. Now to lead her to Alistair, Bunny, and Dexter.'

Roxy slowly walked around the room, taking in her surroundings. She walked over to the window behind the desk and looked down at the outside world. Below the window outside seemed to be some sort of school campus; teenagers were walking about with backpacks slung over their shoulders, while others chatted with their friends around the unicorn-shaped fountain.

"I'm definitely not at Alfea," said Roxy, "but where?" She turned around and nearly tripped over a little hedgehog in the middle of the floor. "Oh! Hey there, little guy," smiled Roxy, bending down to pick up the cuddly brown animal.

'Wait a second. If I remember everything Maddie was telling me about Wonderland, hedgehogs in the Fairytale World originated from Wonderland, Maddie's homeland. And if Maddie can hear me, then there's a chance this hedgehog can hear me, too! Only one way to find out. Hey! Hey, little hedgehog! Up here!'

The small hedgehog suddenly stopped cuddling Roxy and looked around the room. "You're such a cutie," cooed Roxy, tickling the animal's belly. "I'm Roxy. I think I'll call you…Deck. Yeah. That's a cute name." As the fairy of animals, she had a huge soft spot for creatures both big and small. The small hedgehog squeaked in delight as if showing his approval of his new name.

'Hey! Can you hear me?'

The tiny animal suddenly stopped moving and looked questioning around the room again. "Huh? What's wrong?" asked Roxy, noticing the animal's confusion.

'Yes! It can hear me! Hey! Deck, I'm Broke, the Narrator. I need your help! It's all a long story, but the Winx, Roxy's friends, are in danger! They're trapped in detention at Wonderland High. And they're not the only ones. Lizzie Hearts, the princess of Wonderland, and her friends are with them and they need to find a way to get out of detention so they can save the Queen of Hearts and find the vorpal sword! If they don't, there'll be serious consequences!'

Deck squeaked with surprise.

'I need you to somehow tell Roxy. Get her to go to the library and find Alistair, Bunny, and Dexter.'

Deck nodded dutifully and began to frantically wiggle in Roxy's arms. "Hey, what's wrong?" asked the concerned fairy, holding up Deck. "Is something wrong?" Deck bobbed his tiny head and continued squirming and crying out in distress. "Are you trying to tell me something?" The hedgehog squeaked louder as if answering her question.

"Hold on; I know a spell that can help." Roxy pointed a finger at the animal's throat and a ray of magic emerged from her fingertip and into the hedgehog.

"The Winx are in danger!" was the first thing Deck blurted out.

That startled Roxy. "What? How? I mean, how do you know that? And what are you talking about?"

"They're being held in Wonderland, and they need your help," informed Deck quickly in his British accent, jumping down from Roxy's arms. "That's not all. Lizzie Hearts, the princess of Wonderland, is with them. If they aren't freed from their containment, Wonderland _and_ the other worlds will face the consequences."

"B-but…what am I supposed to do?" stammered Roxy, "I don't even know where I am! How am I supposed to find help?"

"This is Ever After High," explained Deck, "a magical school just like yours. And don't worry. Lizzie has some friends in the library. They're searching for her and her friends right now. You can help them."

Roxy swallowed and nodded. "Where's the library?" she asked.

Deck turned around to face the exit. "Just follow me," he directed.

* * *

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

'Maddie! I'm back!'

"Brooke! It's good to hear your voice again," giggled Maddie, looking up at the ceiling. She was oblivious of the odd looks the others were giving her. "You said earlier that you pushed a book of a shelf, right?"

'Yeah.'

"Then that gives me an idea," said Maddie, walking over to the bookshelf. She began to push books off the shelves and onto the ground.

"Maddie, what are you doing?" asked Tecna curiously as the books disappeared under the swampy water.

Maddie giggled. "Getting us out of here, silly. The story hasn't reached The End just yet!"

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

"They couldn't have just disappeared from the world," mused Dexter, joining Alistair and Bunny on the elevated walkway above the rest of the library.

"But we've looked everywhere," pointed out Bunny.

Alistair was about to add something, but stopped as someone called out: "Hey!" A tiny hedgehog and a girl with purple hair following after it appeared on the walkway. The purple-haired girl gasped for air before speaking. "Are you guys Bunny, Alistair, and Dexter?" she asked hopefully.

Dexter adjusted his glassed. "That's us," he nodded curiously, "who are _you_?"

The girl took a deep breath as if preparing herself. "I'm Roxy," she began quickly, "and this is Deck. She gestured down towards the hedgehog.

"Good day to you," squeaked Deck.

"This all might sound crazy, but my friends, the Winx, along with Lizzie Hearts and her friends are in trouble," explained Roxy.

"Wait. You know where Lizzie is?" asked Bunny hopefully.

Roxy nodded. "They're in Wonder-" She stopped as a book suddenly dropped down from above. Bunny, Alistair, and Dexter exchanged questioning looks. Just ten, more books began to fall from the ceiling and into a neat line on the floor below.

"That was weird…" trailed off Dexter.

"Wait a second," said Alistair shortly. He and the others traveled down the steps to the ground level to investigate. "Hey, look at this!" he said, pointing at one of the opened books. "Each book is open to a page that has an illuminated letter. These letters must spell out a message! 'Raven's spell to Wonderland did fly-" he started, reading the first words the books were spelling out.

"'In a mockturtle's dungeon with human butterflies at Wonderland High'," continued Bunny, reading more of the message.

"The Winx! They're fairies!" exclaimed Roxy, "they have wings just like butterflies!"

"'Seek help from the tea and hats guy'," finished Dexter, reading the rest of the message. He gasped. "This is Riddlish! I think Maddie is sending us a message! Wha-what do you think it means?"

"They're in detention at Wonderland High ," said Roxy and Alistair in unison. "Raven's spell must've sent them to Wonderland," inferred Alistair.

"And we need to talk to-"

An Evil Steplibrarian appeared out nowhere, interrupted Bunny. "Shhh," she hissed. "This is a library! Are you mad as a hatter?"

"Mad. Mad! Ha, that's it!" exclaimed Bunny, "I know who we need to talk to! Everyone follow me!"


	11. When One Adventure Ends

**ღ** The Wonderland Haberdashery and Tea Shoppe in the Village of Book End **ღ**

"Why, that is hat-larious! Maddie in Wonderland? I don't believe it! Even with the worlds sealed, she still manages to get locked in eternal detention," chuckled the Mad Hatter, setting down plates of cookies and cupcakes in front of the Wonderlandians, Dexter, and Roxy. "That's my girl!" He began to pour teacups out of a teakettle. "I'm so proud of her! She's just like her old dad, you know? I was in detention every other day. And, every other day."

"Okay, so if you were there so often, how do they get out?" asked Alistair, sliding aside the stack of filed teacups.

"Oh, that's easy! I used to do it all the time!" said the Mad Hatter, dropping the teakettle into his hat and sitting down at the table with the four. "There's a Wonderland High rule that not many people know about. In fact, I don't even know. You see, I have a re-memory problem. I'd forgot!"

"A re-memory problem?" repeated Roxy, raising an eyebrow as she continued to gently stroke Deck's backside.

"Yes, indeed! I forgot to forget that I had to forget that I forgot what I forgot what I was supposed to forget but then I actually forgot," explained the Mad Hatter, "it happens all the time."

Being non-Wonderlandian, Roxy and Dexter exchanged confused glances. "Well, I know a re-memory game," said Alistair, "just say the first word that pops into your head!"

"'Foot'". Oh, I like this game," snickered the Mad Hatter, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"Jabber…" trailed of Bunny.

"Walking," finished the Mad Hatter.

"Hedge…" tried Roxy.

"Bullfrog!" exclaimed the Mad Hatter.

"Escape?" said Dexter, eating a cupcake.

"Teascape!"

"Detention," said Alistair slowly.

"Teadley winks." The Mad Hatter gasped and jumped up. "That's it! Tiddlywinks!"

* * *

 **ღ** Wonderland High **ღ**

"Tiddlywinks?" repeated Lizzie, looking at Maddie with bewilderment.

"You mean, like the game?" asked Raven, looking just as unsure as Lizzie.

"That's what she said he said!" nodded Maddie, "'Tiddlywinks will free you!'"

At the word _tiddlywinks_ , the mockturtle woke up. "Oh, a challenge! It has been so long! An obscure school rule: if you declare a challenge and then pass the proficiency test, you are released from detention." He poured the game pieces on his desk.

"I win at tiddlywinks, we get out?" asked Lizzie hopefully, walking over to the desk.

"Actually, any kind of trial by combat," corrected the mockturtle," the acting vice-principal today is the Red Knight. So, that would be swords. Oh, what fun!" He pulled a lever and the sound of a train whistle resonated loudly through the room. The outer wall suddenly began to open and the water ad lily pads in the classroom started to drain out of the room.

"Oh no! Wh-what's going on?" stammered Stella frantically as the lily pads they were standing on began to float towards the edge. They screamed as their lily pads drained out of the room, dropping them down into a well in the school grounds below. The well then teleported them into the center of a maze.

"What was that?" groaned Stella, slowing sitting up.

Suddenly, Wonderlandian students appeared out of the maze, surrounding them. "Challenge, challenge, challenge!" they were chanting.

"What does this mean? What's happening?" panicked Briar as the heroes were cornered in a circle.

"I could be wrong, but I think it's a challenge," replied Maddie.

And to add on to their problems, a sword cut through part of the hedge, and the Red Knight appeared through the opening. "As acting vice-principal, the rules decree that I must battle you," he said, getting in a fighting stance.

Another sword suddenly cut through the hedge beside the girls and the White Knight appeared. "Then you know that the rules allow a champion to take their place," he said, pointing his sword at the Red Knight. He turned to the heroes. "Run - get to the queen's birthday and save her!"

"We're not too late!" exclaimed the White Rabbit, appearing in the center of the maze as the Knights began battling each other. "Come with me to the palace!" He began to hop away, gesturing the others to follow.

"Aw man. I wanted to fight," pouted Nex as he and the girls began running after the White Rabbit.

"Don't worry. They'll be plenty of times for that later," assured Stella as they quickly approached a giant teacup hedge.

"I'll go ahead," said Kitty, smiling widely. "Cheshire cats travel light and always with a smile." She then disappeared, her smile remaining in midair for a few more seconds before disappearing.

"This way, this way!" The White Rabbit hopped atop the teacup hedge. The top part of it opened open up, revealing a yellow portal. One by one, the others hopped into the portal after the White Rabbit.

And so, our heroes graduated from school and were finally on their way to the Queen of Hearts's birthday party where the sinister joker in the deck was planning to steal the throne and rule Wonderland.

 **~O~**

"So this is a rabbit hole?" asked Stella as she and the others fell down the purple tunnel. "Hm. It's different from other portals for sure," she stated as a cow floated by. After a few more seconds of falling, the gang was ejected out of the rabbit hole and onto a path of pink grass.

"Hey…isn't that the palace?" asked Nex, pointing at the giant structure standing on a bluff in the distance.

"Rabbit, this wasn't a short cut at all," frowned Lizzie.

"Oh, dear! We must've taken a wrong turn at the flying teapot," fretted the White Rabbit, hopping into the mouth of a giant head-shaped structure. "This way!"

 **~O~**

"The girls, they've fled the scene!" exclaimed the Red Knight angrily, lifting the visor of his helmet to look around.

"And that means their school day is over," said the White Knight, swinging his sword at the Red Knight.

"It was my sworn duty not to let that happen! I'll bring them back if it's the last thing I do!" The Red Knight's noble steed appeared and the knight climbed upon. Without looking at his opponent, he sped off in the direction the girls went in.

However, the White Knight wasn't letting him get away so easily. He too jumped on his horse and sped off after the Red Knight. And while on horseback, the two continued to spar.

* * *

 **ღ** Card Castle **ღ**

Meanwhile, outside the gate of Card Castle, Kitty appeared on a tree branch. "Meow! Mom!" she called, looking around. Below, the card soldiers guarding the gate were admitting people onto the royal grounds. "She must already be inside," assumed Kitty, disappearing out of the tree. Just as she was teleporting away, Courtly Jester appeared in front of the waiting line.

"I'm just in time for the part," said Courtly, bolding approaching the guards at the gate.

"Name?" said one of the card soldiers, looking up from the long name list.

"Courtly Jester."

"Huh, Jester eh?" snorted one of the guards, "what a big surprise. You're not on the list! Can't come in. Step aside!" He nudged the other guard's arm, which pushed Courtly backwards. "Name please," he asked of the animate badger that was now in the front of the line.

Scowling, Courtly stomped away. "Can't let Courtly in; she's just a lowly joker, shuffle her to the bottom of the deck where she belongs," she mumbled to herself. She gasped as a joker card slid out of the Evil Queen's book of spells she was carrying. "Oh, what's this?" asked Courtly, taking the card into her hand. "'Just say the who you want to be, and that's the you that they will see'?" she read aloud. She gasped again and cackled. "Oh, this is going to be fun," she said to herself, pushing past the other guests in line and walking back up to the guards at the gate.

"Step again, totee. I'm on my way to see my mum," she said to the guards as they blocked the entryway onto the palace grounds with their swords.

"Listen. Didn't I already tell you to get lost?" glowered one of the guards.

"Oh, I should hope not. After all, that's no way to talk to-" She used the joker card to magically make herself appear to be Lizzie in the guards' eyes. "-Lizzie Hearts, your princess." In Lizzie's voice, she said: "I must see my mother!"

Cowering, the card guard nodded. "Yes, your royal highness. Please, forgive me!"

"Not likely," huffed Courtly, walking past them and into the crowd on the royal grounds. "Now, to get my hands on the Storybook of Legends which means catching the Cheshire Cat. Ooh, maybe my dear, sweet mother has seen her."

She started towards a crowd where a frog servant was making an announcement. "All hail the Queen of Hearts and her amazing skills at croquet," he croaked.

Another servant carried a large red throne out onto the field, where sat the Queen of Hearts. The queen looked just like Lizzie with her black-and-red hair and red attire. "That's right! It's _my_ birthday! And I'm going to play croquet, and everyone is going to watch me," said the queen proudly, standing up and taking the croquet mallet another servant was holding out to her.

"But Your Majesty, more guests have arrived," bowed a fish butler at her side.

"Ooh, more presents!" squealed the Queen of Hearts, settling back down into her throne.

"Presenting, Lord Unicorn," announced another servant as an animate unicorn in a tux appeared before the queen. He bowed down before her, holding out a small gift-wrapped present.

The Queen of Hearts took the present and gave it a rattle. She then threw it into a pile of presents in a wheelbarrow beside her. Immediately, a card guard wheeled the barrow away. Already bored, the Queen got up to play croquet. "Ball!" she ordered, once again taking her mallet. At her call, a small animal set up the ball in front of her and took shelter as the queen proceeded to whack the ball.

She gave the ball a quick whack and it sailed around the garden, squarely rolling near the wicket. The crowd frowned disappointedly as the failed shot. The frog servant sighed, and pushed the ball in the wicket with his foot. In response to this, the crowd began to cheer and clap. "Excellent shot, Your Majesty," praised the frog.

"Oh, this is such fun!" squealed the queen, "I'm the happiest queen in the world. Except—oh!" She dramatically fainted into her chair. "I'm the most miserable queen in the world! I have been _so_ looking forward to seeing my dear daughter Lizzie on my birthday..."

"Of course, Your Majesty," nodded the frog sympathetically.

The animate fish appeared at the queen's other side. "More presents?" he asked hopefully, holding out a present.

The queen squealed in delight and took the present. "Ooh!" she exclaimed, instantly forgetting about her misery.

 **~O~**

"Mom! There you are!" exclaimed Kitty, appearing on one of the Card Castle's rooftops.

"Kitty, what a purrfect surprise," purred the Cheshire Cat, "what are you doing here and not in Ever After?" The cat had purple skin and graying lavender hair in a high ponytail. Her nails were pointy like a cat's claws, her eyes cat-like slits, and her cheekbones sharp. Dressed in periwinkle blue along with leopard prints and fur, she looked like a true devious kitty.

"It's a long story," replied Kitty quickly, "more importantly, do you have the Storybook of Legends?"

"Well, that's a long story too," purred the Cheshire Cat, "mmm, let's see. Where shall I begin?"

 **~O~**

Meanwhile, the two Knights were still sparring as they rude through a valley. "You fight gallantly, White Knight. I'll give you that," said the Red Knight as they continued to spar.

"As to you. But it's a pity you are on the wrong side," said the White Knight, dodging his opponent's blade. "Yield!"

"No, you yield!"

"No, _you_ yield!"

The two rode away, bickering with each other as they sparred. Nearby, the heroes were sprung out of a portal. "What? This isn't the palace!" cried out Lizzie, standing up and looking around.

"Oh dear! My sense of direction is less sensitive inside the ground than outside the ground..." fretted the White Rabbit.

"My mother is in danger, rabbit! Please, please just get us to the palace." She pointed at the palace in the distance.

"Oh my, oh dear. Yes your highness." The White Rabbit began to run towards a water portal blending in with the giant plants. "This way...I hope." The heroes exchanged looks and followed the rabbit down the portal.

 **~O~**

"Presenting the Walrus and Carpenter," announced the fish servant as two more people approached the queen's throne with presents in hand.

Courtly Jester shoved past the two. "Step aside! Royalty coming through!" She then sat on the Queen of Hearts's lap. "Look, mother! Your precious little girl has come home for your birthday."

The queen brushed Courtly off in disgust. "Foul intruder! Guards! Somehow this wild card has crashed my party! Off with her head! In fact, off with all of her!" she ordered.

"Oops. Forgot," giggled Courtly as the guards seized her. She took out the joker card. "Is that anyway to talk to your long lost daughter?" she asked, using the card to make her face look like Lizzie's to the queen.

The queen gasped. "Lizzie?" She then shouted at the guards. "Unhand her, you fools!" She carried Courtly out of the guards' care. "Can't you see that this is my long lost daughter? Go find that Jester girl who was here a moment ago."

"What?" The guards seemed confused. They looked down at the fish butler, who shrugged.

The Queen of Hearts hugged Courtly while everyone stared in confusion. "Lizzie! Truly, my dearest sweet princess, I have missed you so much since you've been gone. I haven't been the same. I am so glad to have you back."

"Good to be...back. Oh, my, look at all these guests! You are ever so popular. Has the Cheshire Cat popped in, hmm? Have you seen her?" asked Courtly hopefully.

 **~O~**

"...And then I tied the lion's tail to a table! And you'll never guess who I put in a punch bowl!" giggled the Cheshire Cat as she and her daughter walked along a rooftop of the Card Castle.

"Mom, this is an emergency!" exclaimed Kitty as her mom jumped down to a lower rooftop. "I don't care about the party—I need to know what you've done with the Storybook of Legends. Do you still have it?"

"Oh, that old thing?" chuckled the Cheshire Cat, "well, you know, they won't let you in here without a gift."

"So the queen has it?" asked Kitty, jumping down onto the lower rooftop.

"Not exactly." The Cheshire Cat pointed down at the long line of card guards who were all wheeling wheelbarrows full of presents. One by one, they were unloading the gifts into some kind of vault.

"The book is with them?"

"Those gifts are going where my gift already is: behind that door in the queen's present room."

"Then all I have to do is sneak in and grab it!" exclaimed Kitty. She gave her mom a quick hug. "Thanks, Mom!" Just as the last guards were walking away from the vault to go get more presents, Kitty teleported down in front of the heart-shaped archway leading into the vault. "So much easier than what I expected," she said, walking into the vault. She gasped at the sight of all the presents in the vault. There were literally so many presents, there were mountains of them; most of almost reaching up the ceiling. "Or, maybe not. Oh no, oh no, oh no no no! I'm gonna need some help."

 **~O~**

"You know, I was thinking of cancelling this party because birthdays just aren't the same without you!" said the queen happily to Courtly, who was sitting on the arm of her chair.

"Huh, how nice. Now, about that cat... —"

"But then I thought, what if my dear, sweet Lizzie shows up? And now look! You have," interrupted the queen like Courtly hadn't even spoke.

"Mother, the cat!"

"Oh, the Cheshire Cat showed up hours ago. She gave me some book. It's with the other gifts in the present room," answered the queen like it was no big deal.

"Of course! Where else would presents be," giggled Courtly, "ah! In honor of your birthday, I say we play a game, hmm?"

"Ooh, I love games!" The Queen of Hearts clapped with delight.

"Yes! See, I call this one the opposite game. Anyone tells you anything, it means the opposite!" Courtly waved at the queen. "Hello, mum."

"Hello, ah!" She gasped with realization. "Hello!"

"Ugh. Someone's playing without a full deck," muttered Courtly, walking away as the queen waved with delight.

"You do realize she is _not_ your daughter," mumbled the frog servant at the queen's side as Courtly walked away.

"Of course. She is _not_ my daughter at all." The queen giggled. "Ooh, this is going to be fun!"

As Courtly was pushing past people, she stopped in her tracks as she noticed Kitty Cheshire traveling through the crowd. "What's this? Kitty Cheshire?! Who left the cat flap open?" She sighed and took cover behind the other guests. "Here's what I get for leaving that ridiculous Red Knight in charge! Looks like I'll have to work fast."

 **~O~**

"We made it!" exclaimed Bloom as she and the others ran down the white road and in front of the gate leading onto the Card Castle's gardens.

"Step aside," Lizzie ordered the cards guarding the entryway.

Yes, Your Highness. Again." The card soldiers seemed confused as Lizzie and her friends walked by. However, Lizzie didn't stay with her friends long. She immediately disappeared into the crowd in search for her mother.

"Lizzie!" called out Raven, holding out a hand.

Bloom put a hand on her shoulder. "Let her handle this. It is her mother, after all. We beat Courtly here, so I'm sure everything will work out."

"Ooh, when I get my hands on that joker." Stella stomped her foot angrily. "She's gonna be in so much trouble!"

"Guys!" exclaimed a disembodied smile, appearing beside Stella. Startled, the blond squeaked and jumped aside.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack!"exclaimed Stella.

"Kitty, did you find the Storybook of Legends?" asked Raven hopefully.

"Yes! Well, ah, sort of. Just follow me." And with that, Kitty began running across the garden.

 **~O~**

Lizzie took a good look around the garden until her eyes landed on her mother. "My mother! There she is!" exclaimed, hurrying over to the queen. "Mother! Oh mother, I'm so happy to see you! I missed you so, oh mother I love you so much!" She hugged the queen happily.

"You love me? How dare you! I most certainly do not love you!" said the queen, pushing Lizzie away.

Lizzie gasped. "You don't love me?"

"Of course not! Not at all! And by the way, you look horrid!" she insulted, pointing at Lizzie.

Lizzie's eyes began to well with tears. "I…I don't understand," she sniffled. The queen snickered. "Mother, this isn't making sense! I've missed you so much, and I thought that you still loved me and finally we're together and after all this time... And now you say these horrible things?!" She began to cry.

"Oh, you are good at this game!" The queen clapped excitedly. "Oh, sorry-sorry, I meant bad! Oh. Did I just lose?"

"Game? I don't under-oh!" Lizzie wiped away her tears. "Is this an opposite game?"

"No," giggled the queen.

Lizzie laughed in relief and hugged her mother. "Then it's time to start the game!"

The queen sighed in relief. "Oh phew, oh good. I love you too, Lizzie."

"I missed you too, mother!"

"Now, you are here. Let's enjoy the party!" exclaimed the Queen of Hearts, glowing with her usual radiance.

"Wait! First I need to warn you! Courtly Jester's on her way here! That joker plans to steal your crown!" exclaimed Lizzie, taking her mother's hands.

"Dethrone me! Courtly Jester?" repeated the Queen of Hearts, becoming enraged. "But-but, she was just here! GUARDS!" Dozens of card guards appeared at her voice. "SEARCH THE PALACE!"

"And bring us Courtly Jester!" added Lizzie, using her powerful queenly voice.

 **~O~**

"Where is it, where is it?" fumed Courtly, rummaging through the presents inside the queen's vault. She tossed presents over her shoulder as she went through the endless piles of gifts. "Uh, it's only tart dishes and tea cozies and not a single book!" This was getting frustration; the stacks of presents were nearly as tall as towers. It was going to take her forever to find the Storybook of Legends.

"Wait a morrow! What's with all the searching by hand?" Courtly asked herself with a cackle, "I'm magical!" She sat atop a small pile of presents and opened the Evil Queen's spell book. "'To find an item which you seek'," she read aloud, "just say these words and here's a peek'!" Her spell conjured up a giant hand which began roaming through the presents. It then pointed to a book atop a tall pile of presents.

"Excellent!" Courtly closed the spell book. "Now, to get up there."

 **~O~**

"What's the big deal about this Storybook of Legends anyway?" asked Nex as Kitty lead them across the queen's croquet field.

"Yeah. Back at Wonderland High, Courtly said something about using it to steal Lizzie's destiny," nodded Tecna.

"It's a long story." Raven rolled her eyes with slight disgust.

However, Apple seemed more than happy to enlighten the Winx and Nex. "You see, in the Fairytale World and in order for our stories to continue to be told, everyone pledges to relive their story by signing their page in the Storybook of Legends," she explained.

"That sounds… _boring_ ," stated Stella, wrinkling her nose.

"Not that she means to offend your tradition," said Tecna apologetically. "So Courtly plans to sign Lizzie's page of the Storybook of Legends so she can become the next Queen of Hearts instead of Lizzie."

"But that isn't how destiny works," spoke up Bloom.

"That's what I've been saying!" exclaimed Raven.

"I don't think one necessarily chooses their destiny, either," added Bloom thoughtfully, "I think it's more like destiny choose the person. It's hard to explain, but I can tell you this: no one knows their destiny for sure. You can think it's one thing, but it can actually be another. It just sort of happens and we can't choose when it does." Noticing Apple's and Raven's confused looks, Bloom added: "It's all kind of hard to explain. I guess it's because the Fairytale World has a different definition of destiny than the rest of the magic universe."

Kitty ran up ahead to a tall wall of the Card Castle. Carved into the wall was a heart-shaped door that nearly blended in with the rest of the wall. "It's in here!" exclaimed Kitty as the door opened for her.

"Whoa. Look at all these presents," gasped Stella as they entered the vault of presents. "The Storybook of Legends could literally be anywhere, and it could take weeks to find it!"

"Looking for something?" chuckled a voice. Everyone looked up to see Courtly Jester standing atop a tall pile of presents. "Well, good news! I believe I've found it! The much sought after Storybook of Legends." She bent down to pick up the book at her feet. "Oh, it's a bit hefty isn't it?" she said, lifting the book.

With an inattentive Courtly at bay, Kitty disappeared from beside her friends. Her tail clock appeared behind Courtly, and then the rest of Kitty materialized. "I'd be happy to take that off your hands," she said, quickly lunging for the book. However, Courtly moved and Kitty fell right off the pile. "Miaow!" meowed Kitty in distress. She bounced off a present on all four, did a flip, and landed back beside the girls and Nex on all four.

"Are you all right?" asked Apple as Kitty stood up.

"I always land on my feet," responded Kitty with a weak smile. Raven then angrily disappeared using her magic. Unfortunately, she appeared on a pile far away from Courtly.

Courtly unwrapped the Storybook of Legend's bow. "Now, to find my destiny. Let's see: Lizzie Hearts, Lizzie Hearts, Lizzie Hearts…" she trailed off quickly going through the pages. Raven tried to teleport to Courtly again, but ended up on a different pile.

"C'mon, Raven! You can do it!" encouraged Apple.

"Would that be listed under 'L' or 'H'?" wondered aloud Courtly, who was still searching through the Storybook. "Hmm, maybe 'S' for stuck-up little princess I could never stand," she sneered. "Ah, here we are: Lizzie Hearts." Using her magic, she summoned a quill. "Out with the old, in with the-"

"No!" Right on time, Raven swooped in and snatched the book out of Courtly's hand but tumbled down the pile of presents, accidentally letting go of the book. "Whoa! Oof!" She gasped as her eyes landed on the Storybook of Legends, which was on the ground in between her friends and Courtly's pile.

"You'll pay for that!" hissed Courtly, taking out a small silver book. Raven gasped at the sight of it. "O-ho-ho. Recognize my little book, do you?" taunted Courtly, waving around the spell book.

"You don't understand the powers you're playing with, Courtly. Put it down…" urged Raven, her eyes wide.

Courtly laughed. "Well, someone's got to pick up where mummy left off," she said, stroking the cover. "Mine as well be me. Oh, fancy that! The lowly Courtly Jester inheriting the powers, of two queens no less!" She giggled. "Well, you can be sure little Raven Queen, once I've conquered Wonderland, Ever After is next!"

"Ugh. She's just like the Trix," spat Stella with disgust.

"If we let her win, Ever After and Wonderland won't be her only targets. Eventually, she'll strive for domination of the entire magic dimension!" pointed out Tecna.

"And we can't let that happen," said Bloom, clenching a fist. "Girls, let's transform!" She and the other two fairies jumped into their transformation stances. "Magic Winx! Bloomix!" they all shouted. They converted to their warrior fairy forms within seconds.

"Oh, what's this?" giggled Courtly.

"Courtly, we won't let you take over Wonderland," said Bloom as the girls levitated into midair. "Surrender now or you'll have to deal with us."

"Ha! You pathetic little fairies are no match for me," snickered Courtly. She opened the spell book and began to chant: "'With this spell, I lay waste the past and seal your fate with a savage blast!'" She fired a dark blue blast at the girls. The girls flew out of the way, and the spell flew towards Raven instead.

"Raven, get out of the way!" shouted Nex. Raven shielded herself with her own magic to lessen the impact of Courtly's spell, which sent her flying across the room. She quickly crawled behind some presents.

"Where are you? Where are you?" laughed Courtly, "I'm going to get you!"

"Raven! Volcanic Attack!" Bloom shot her pink, yellow, orange, and blue spell at Courtly. However, a dark blue shield appeared around Courtly, absorbing the spell.

"Light spectrum!"

"Bio-Rhythmic Flow!" Sid by side, Tecna and Stella shot their own magic at Courtly. Unfortunately, it didn't even crack the shield. "Our powers! They aren't working against Courtly's magic!" said Tecna as the three fairies regrouped.

Nex, who was still by the door with the other girls, reached behind his back and drew a long axe with a radiant blue blade at the top; Halberd of the Wind, his magical weapon. He swung it in Courtly's direction, releasing a blue magic blast from his weapon's blade. However, his magic didn't affect Courtly's shield either.

"That's right! You all don't stand a chance against me," snickered Courtly, "let's try another spell, shall we? 'With this spell, I'll demonstrate my true power alone, by deviously turning you into a statue of stone'!" She threw the dark spell at Stella.

"Stella! Look out!" Bloom flew in front of Stella, and the spell hit her instead.

"Bloom!" shrieked Stella as Bloom's wings began to harden. The rest of Bloom's body began to harden with stone, and due to the weight of it, the fairy dropped out of the sky and landed in the deep pile of presents below.

"Bloom!" gasped Tecna as Bloom sank into the abyss of presents.

"Don't worry! I got this," assured Stella, descending to where Bloom fell. "I can reverse the spell."

"Sorry to rain on your parade little fairy, but I'm not letting that happen," cackled Courtly, deactivating her shield. "'With this spell, I corrupt your light, and your inner darkness I will ignite!'"

"No you don't! Organic Shield!" Tecna got in front of Stella and activated her neon-green cube-shaped defensive shield.

"Thanks, Tecna." Stella gave Tecna quick thumbs up. "Now keep her busy while I look for Bloom." The fairy of the shining sun then began to rummage through the sea of gifts for stone-ified Bloom.

"Riaow! This isn't good!'" meowed Kitty in distress, "we gotta do something!" She then teleported away from Apple, Maddie, Nex, and Briar and over to Stella.

"Got it!" Tecna fists lit up with neon-green electricity and charged towards Courtly.

The joker began to chant another spell from the spell book. "'With this spell, I cut the cable, and your powers of technology I disable!" She throw a dark magic blast at Tecna. Unfortunately, the fairy didn't have enough time to get out of the way. She collided with the spell and the impact threw her across the vault.

"Now, to find Raven Queen," cackled Courtly, looking around the vault. She gathered up several magic blasts, but saved them for when she had Raven in her sights. "Where are you? Won't you come out and play?!" Courtly then fired all of the blasts concurrently in several directions. Raven, who had been hiding behind a far away pile of presents, quickly ran out of the way, narrowly dodging Courtly's blows twice.

"She's too powerful for me!" exclaimed Raven, taking shelter behind a present pile close to her friends.

"Raven can't win—not without her full powers!" exclaimed Briar as Courtly continued to search for Raven from atop her tower of gifts.

"But the only way she can get her full powers is if….." trailed off Maddie, "oohh!"

"If she signs her page in the Storybook of Legends," finished Apple, picking up the artifact from the ground.

"But I can't!" cried out Raven. Behind her, Courtly fired a blast at the pile Raven was hiding behind, causing the girl to stumble forward.

"It doesn't have to mean that you become the Evil Queen," interrupted Apple, "I know I always wanted you to become your mom, but now-" She laughed lightly, "I just don't think it's in you. Your heart is just too good. The decision is yours, Raven. It always has been."

Courtly fired another blast at the tower Raven and Apple were hiding behind, causing most of it to fall. "Haha! There you are!" she cackled, rounding up more blasts.

"Either way, I believe in you!" encouraged Apple as Courtly was preparing to hurl her spells at them.

Panicking, Raven took a glance at Courtly and then took the Storybook of Legends from Apple. She opened it and a quill was summoned. The girl hesitated but quickly signed her name in the Storybook. Purple magic immediately emerged from the book and set Raven's body aflame.

"What's going on?" asked Nex as Raven began to levitate. Everyone stared at Raven with awe as she laughed evil.

On a platform made of cards overhead, the card guards entered the vault. "There she is! Get her!" ordered one of them, pointing down at Courtly Jester with his weapon.

"The guards!" Courtly took out a joker card. "It is I," she said, using the card. "Lizzie Hearts your princess. Seize that girl!" She ordered, pointing down at Raven.

"Right away, Your Highness!" All the guards jumped down and surrounded Raven just as the girl was landing. The girl smiled evilly and used her powers to lift the guards off the ground and throw them at Courtly.

"The Storybook of Legends! It made her evil!" cried out Briar.

Courtly then created a huge blast and fired it at Raven, who easily avoided it by disappearing. She soon appeared on top of a present pile and fired an even more powerful blast at Courtly, destroying the pile. Courtly landed on her feet on another pile.

"I know Raven. She's stronger than those dark powers," said Apple, not taking her eyes off Raven.

From a different pile of presents, Stella and Kitty were uncovering Bloom. "Here she is!" exclaimed Kitty as the two lifted up the stone figure. She meowed in distress as the debris from the destroyed tower of presents ejected at and fell on them.

This time, Courtly fired multiple blasts split seconds after the next. However, Raven effortlessly shielded herself and once she broke her shield, she released a wave of dark energy which made Courtly retreat to another pile. Having trouble keeping up, the jester frantically flipped through the spell book. "Her magic's too strong," she panicked, "no, there has to be a better spell in here!" She gasped again as a ray of Raven's magic enchanted the book.

"There's more than one way to read a book," said Raven evilly, using her magic to tug the book from Courtly's hands. The girl then absorbed the entire book's magic. "All done!" Raven floated over to Courtly's pile and fired her magic which Courtly was unable to defend. Defeated, Courtly was shot down at the very bottom of the pile. Cowering in fear, she slowly got up. "And now, to finish you," laughed Raven manically, walking over to defeated Courtly.

 **~O~**

From afar, Kitty and Stella's heads popped up from under the presents. "Miaow!" squeaked Kitty, looking in Raven's direction. "Stella, look! We gotta hurry!"

Stella used her magic to levitate the presents off them and stone-ified Bloom. "Oh great. What now?" frowned the Stella, also noticing Raven.

"What's Raven doing?" meowed Kitty.

"I don't know, but I do know we gotta save Bloom." Stella looked around quickly. "Where's Tecna?"

"There!" Kitty pointed at Tecna, who was lying atop some gifts not far from them.

"Alright, so here's the plan: while I take care of Bloom, you go get Tecna," said Stella quickly.

"How are you gonna turn Bloom back to normal?" wondered aloud Kitty thoughtfully.

"By my Ray of Pure Light spell," explained Stella, "it can purify anyone affected by the enemy's power."

"So….could it de-evilize Raven?" asked Kitty slowly, watching Raven conjure magic to finish off Courtly.

Stella shrugged but then brightened back up. "Kitty, that gives me an idea!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "But we'll need Tecna and Bloom for it to work."

"Then let's hurry!" meowed Kitty, "I don't think we have much time before Raven decides to do away with us, too."

 **~O~**

Raven continued to laugh evilly as she conjured up some magic to destroy Courtly. She would've gone ahead and finished the job if Apple hadn't suddenly got in her way. "Raven, stop!" cried out Apple, holding out her hands as she ran in between Raven and Courtly.

"Apple? Get out of the way!" ordered Raven angrily.

"Raven, this isn't you! Choose who you want to be!" Apple slowly approached Raven, her eyes wide with both terror and encouragement. "Isn't that what you always tell me?"

For a split second, it looked like Apple's words had helped Raven get a hold of herself. Unfortunately, that evil look in her eyes immediately returned. "Pitiful words like those can't stop me!" she assured with an evil cackle. "I can already tell you and the others are going to get on my nerves!" She then turned away from Apple and Courtly to look at Nex and the other girls. "Maybe I'll just have to get rid of you then!"

Nex leaped in front of Briar and Maddie with his Halberd of the Wind in hand. "Don't come any closer," he warned Raven.

"Your little toy won't hurt me," taunted Raven deviously, outstretching a hand at Nex. "I'll show you true power."

"Not so fast, Raven!" shouted Bloom's voice. Raven looked up to see Stella, Bloom, and Tecna floating overhead.

A purple smile appeared beside Nex and expanded into the rest of Kitty. "Hey guys," she said with a tiny wave, "what did I miss?"

"Raven, we don't want to hurt you," said Bloom, "it doesn't have to be like this! Take control of your powers; don't let them take control over you! That's the first step to becoming a good sorceress."

Raven blinked and then let out a loud laugh. "I _am_ in control, and why don't I prove it? How about we have a duel? Me against one of you."

"What? You can't fight each other," protested Briar.

Bloom glanced at Briar and then nodded. "Fine; we accept. I won't risk the others' safety, so it looks like it'll just be me and you."

 **~O~**

"I still think this is a bad idea," frowned Briar, crossing her arms. She, Kitty, Nex, Apple, Maddie, and the two other fairies were watching Bloom and Raven from the sidelines. Raven had cleared some of the queen's gifts out of the way so she and Bloom could have a legit battlefield.

"Don't worry! It's all part of the plan," whispered Kitty lowly, "I think."

"Raven, you can overcome these dark powers," said Bloom as she landed a few feet away from Raven in the clearing. "This isn't you! You're better and stronger than this!"

"Ugh! Just stop talking and _fight_!" Raven then conjured several dark magic blasts and fired them all at Bloom seconds after each other.

"Unstoppable Fire!" Bloom's shield protected her from the blasts, but the impact slightly pushed her backwards. She then released an igneous energy wave in Raven's direction. Raven, however, effortlessly teleported herself atop a pile of gifts.

That's when the true battle began. To start things off, Raven fired a huge magic blast at Bloom, who did the same thing. Their two spells collided, creating a powerful impact. The fairy of the Dragon Flame levitated into the air and threw fiery yellow spells at Raven repeatedly. The dark sorceress teleported onto another tower and then created a mini tornado with her magic.

"Miaow!" meowed Kitty in distress as the tornado began to spin around the room, its harsh wings picking objects off the ground and ejecting them at Bloom. While Stella and Tecna used their magic shields, Nex used his halberd's wind powers to protect themselves and the girls from the flying objects. Bloom then used a spell to disintegrate the funnel. From atop the pile, Raven conjured magical, pointy thorns and aimed them at Bloom. Unfortunately, the fairy wasn't quick enough to move.

The magic thorns stung her, sending her flying into some gifts. Just as she was slowly sitting up, Raven teleported onto a pile of gifts close to Bloom and shot down a nonstop ray of magic down at the fairy. From her position on the ground, Bloom did the same. "Just give up! You can't beat me!" laughed Raven evilly as their rays blasted against each other.

Using both hands, Bloom slowly added more fire power into her flaming ray, and her magic began to force Raven's back. "No, I'll never give up!" assured Bloom, sending more magic through her fingertips as the two sorceresses' rays continued to collide. "I'll keep fighting for what's right, just like the _real_ you." With a roar, Bloom's powerful ray of the Dragon Flame forced Raven's energy beam backwards, colliding with the dark sorceress. The impact made Raven fall off her tower, but she used a magic bubble to gently land on the ground.

The dark sorceress let out a sound of annoyance and held up a finger. A disk of energy began to form above her fingernail. "This _is_ the real me!" she laughed wickedly as the disk continued to expand. "And it's _sooo_ much better than the old one!" She threw the disk at Bloom as the fairy took flight. "Now, reflect this!"

"Yikes!" Bloom began to fly around the vault as the heat-seeking disk flew after her. After she got a good enough distance away from it, she kicked in its direction, releasing a fiery blast from her foot. The blast cut the disk in half, and the two halves disintegrated. "You'll have to do better than that," called Bloom over to Raven, "Scorching Assault!" She chucked a spell at Raven, who used a shield to protect herself.

Bloom wasn't stopping there. She pumped her fist forward like she was punching someone, and a spell emerged from her clenched fist. Just as Raven was recovering from the last attack, the spell hit her, and Raven stumbled backwards as if she had actually been punched. She fell backwards into a small pile of gifts, but quickly got up. The dark sorceress then created a spear with her magic and thrust it forward at Bloom above. The fairy shielded her face with her arms and her bracelets became aflame with protective magic. The spear flew into the bracelets, whose magic absorbed the spell.

The heated battle continued; both girls continuously threw spells at each other and even took a few of their opponent's spells. After a while, Bloom decided that it was time to end the fight. She landed on the ground and Raven followed her lead. "To be the holder of the Dragon Flame, you're pretty pathetic," insulted Evil Queen with a cackle.

Bloom smiled. "If you think that, then the plan worked."

That caught Raven off guard. "Plan?" she repeated, becoming confused and a little enraged. "What plan?"

Instead of answering her, Bloom released two igneous storms out of her fists. "Fire Storm!" she shouted as her fiery storms both hit Raven. The dark sorceress yelped as the impact knocked her off her feet and onto the ground. Seeing Raven was momentarily defenseless, Bloom yelled: "Stella, Tecna, now!"

"Time to fly!" exclaimed Stella as she and Tecna ascended into the air.

"What?" gasped Raven, who was holding her head as she slowly sat up. Before she could act, Bloom, Tecna, and Stella flew over and surrounded her.

"This is for your own good, Raven," said Bloom as the girls linked hands. In unison, the three yelled: "Bloomix convergence!" A fiery aura formed around Bloom's body. "Friendship Flame!"

Stella's body began to light up as well. "Ray of Pure Light!"

"Digital Aura of Trust!" added Tecna, her body producing a neon-green glow. The three fairies' magic began to flow into each other, a sign that their magic was converging.

"Stop!" shouted Raven, but it was too late. Lines of pure magic emerged from the girls' bodies, creating a blinding aura around Raven. The fairies unlinked and stepped away as the aura began to grow. After a few moments, all the magic cleared away and Raven swayed unsteadily.

"Raven? Are you…?" trailed off Bloom as she caught Raven.

"Yeah." Raven smiled weakly and straightened herself up. "Thank you."

"No, we should be thanking you," giggled Stella as Nex and the other girls rushed over to their side.

"What is the meaning of all this commotion?" demanded a voice. The Queen of Hearts walked into the vault along with Lizzie and some card guards.

"It's Raven Queen, Your Majesty," replied Apple with a big smile, "she's a hero! She's vanquished Courtly Jester!"

"I've took away most of her powers, Your Majesty, but she got away," said Raven apologetically.

"Young lady. I owe you a tremendous amount of gratitude," announced the Queen of Hearts, looking quite pleased. "You are hereby invited to my birthday party!"

"We would all be honored," smiled Raven, "but there's something we need to take care of first."

 **~O~**

"Happy birthday, Mother," congratulated Lizzie, hugging her mother tightly. The two were standing by the throne overlooking the giant throne room below.

"My daughter being at my side is the greatest wish a moth could ask for!" The Queen of Hearts hugged her mother back.

"I think this moment deserves a picture," announced Tecna, taking out her phone. After taking a quick pic, Raven walked into the center of the room.

"Your Majesty, with your permission…" she trailed off readily.

"Proceed," nodded the Queen of Hearts.

Raven nodded, but before she could conjure magic, Bloom called out: "Raven, wait!" She hurried over and took Raven's hand. Raven gasped as a surge of energy flowed from Bloom and into her.

"What was that?" she asked as a warm feeling sparked inside her.

"A spark of my Dragon Flame," explained Bloom, "this way, Wonderland can never again be poisoned by dark magic of any kind. It will forever be protected by the power of the Dragon Flame, and can reclaim its place in the magic dimension."

Raven smiled and lifted up her hand towards the heart-shaped opening in the ceiling. "From bad to good; to better from worse, from Wonderland I knew remove this curse!" Everyone looked up as a giant purple flame was ignited from Raven's hand and dispersed into a mass wave in the sky. The magic erased the yellow-greenish color out of the sky and replaced it with an evening appearance where pinks and oranges expanded across the sky. "The nightmare's done; the day has dawned. So let's enjoy and party on!" The people began to cheer and dance as the borders between the worlds and realms were opened and people from all over Magix appeared in the throne room.

While everyone chatted and danced, Bloom took this as a chance to escape out onto the terrace. "It looks the curse is lifted," she smiled to herself as she watched the sun sink into the horizon. "Wonderland is finally free." Her smile faded slightly. "I wonder how the others are holding up at Alfea. I hope they're all safe." She shook out of her worried thoughts as Briar, Apple, and Raven joined her on the terrace. Bloom noticed that Briar was holding the Storybook of Legends.

"What's up?" Raven asked Briar.

"Well, I've been trying to tell you for a while now, "confessed Briar, "see, it's my fault the Storybook of Legends even ended up here in the first place. I sort of threw it down the Well of Wonder…."

"What? But...why?" Apple seemed shocked.

"I didn't want to have to follow my destiny! Sleeping my life away and losing all my friends? Why should I be forced to live that life if it's not the one I want?" Briar pressed the book against her chest and looked out at the setting sun.

Apple smiled and took the book from Briar. "Things used to be so simple: you signed the book, you lived your destiny. But now, if anyone can use the book to steal a destiny, well, maybe the book is more trouble than what it's worth."

"Whoa." Raven looked like she wasn't believing her ears.

"Oh, I still want my happily ever after," assured Apple, "but I don't want our stories in danger of being stolen. They should be ours to choose; ours to change."

"Bloom. What were you saying about destiny earlier?" asked Raven, acknowledging the fairy's presence.

Bloom smiled and joined them. "It's still all hard to explain, but destiny works in odd ways," she began, "everyone has a purpose in life, but no one knows what it is for sure. Not even the Storybook of Legends. For an example, maybe Briar throwing the Storybook down the Well of Wonder was part of her true destiny. If that hadn't happened, there's a chance things could've been different for the worse. No matter how it may seem, destiny is always naturally guiding us down our own path. The path we were born to follow. Take me. I never thought I'd become a fairy and the whole idea of magic seemed…crazy. But now that I've grown in my powers and met knew friends like all of you, I'm glad things happened the way it did."

Apple nodded. "Maybe…maybe it's time to shelf this book once and for all," she said, handing the book to Raven.

"Am I understanding you correctly?" gasped Raven.

"You always have," laughed Apple lightly.

Raven smiled back and lifted the book into the air. "Now everyone can write their own stories—whether if we wanna follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, or blaze a new trail. The choice is in our hearts." The book then opened and all of its pages were released. The pages transformed into bolts of yellow magic and flew past the girls into the throne room like fireworks. Astounded, the girls appeared in the doorway as they watched the magic disappear into the Ever After High students.

* * *

 **ღ** The Mirror Realm **ღ**

"Oh, something's in your heart, my precious little daughter," said the Evil Queen as she watched the Queen of Hearts's birthday party from a looking glass. "Cast your mighty spells; revel in your newfound power…My first big step towards freedom is complete." And with that, she began to cackle wickedly.

* * *

 **ღ** Card Castle **ღ**

"Guys, I don't usually do this, so take this as a compliment" announced Kitty, joining Tecna, Bloom, Stella, and Nex by the punchbowl. "But…I want to thank you for helping us today. We wouldn't have done it without you."

"Aw, no problem," winked Stella, "and by the way, I absolutely _love_ your fashion style. It's totally inspiring me to get a little… _mad_ with my fashions."

"Kitty's right," agreed Raven as she, Apple, and Briar joined them. "Without you, I wouldn't have taken control of my powers. And since you helped us, we want to help you. If there's anything we can do to help save your school from the-"

She was interrupted as Bunny, Alistair, and Roxy was teleported beside them. "Bloom? Winx? You're okay!" exclaimed Roxy excitedly, hurrying over and giving Tecna a big hug.

"Roxy…how are you here?" asked Bloom slowly, "you came from Alfea?"

"Ever After High," corrected Roxy, "it's…a long story. Alistair and Bunny-" She was interrupted as the sound of sword clanging filled the air. The White Knight and Red Knight appeared in the room, sparring tirelessly.

"How are those guys not worn out yet?" wondered aloud Stella.

The White Knight kicked the Red Knight down. "Alright, I yield!" exclaimed Chase, getting up and removing his helmet. "You win. What a knight! What skill, what-what power! What manner of man are you?"

The White Knight looked around as the crowd looked at him with encouragement and anticipation. "Actually…I am no manner of man," he said, slowly lifting up his helmet. The face of a girl with platinum-blond hair was revealed as he-she completely removed the helmet. "I'm a girl!"

Bloom gasped. "Darling?"

"I guess you'd like an explanation of what I've been up to…" The suit mechanically detached and Darling stepped out. "That story's best told another day."

Bloom, Tecna, and Stella quickly hurried over and hugged Darling. "Darling, it's been so long!" exclaimed Tecna, squeezing the princess tightly.

"Huh?" said Raven, raising an eyebrow. Darling looked just as confused, but just smiled.

"Ah…right. It's been a while," she said slowly, hiding her confusion and curiosity. "But we can talk another time. For now, it's time to party and then we have a sword to find in the morning, right?" Everyone glanced at each other, nodded, and joined Darling in the dance floor.

' _And so, everything turned out good in the end. Wait! I'm back!'_

'Mom! You sound normal again! And I have a confession to make. I know it's against the rules, but I interfered with the story, but I'm glad I did! I care about these guys, Mom. And just like they want to make their own choices—I want to make my own too.'

 _*sigh* 'Alright. But be mindful of how you choose. If you're not careful, you could abuse your powers and ultimately alter the story. There have been narrators who have done so before.'_

'I will for sure. Now, to end the story off:'

And so, the Winx, Wonderlandians, and the rest of the gang danced their night away, oblivious of the new adventures they were going to have the next day.


	12. Another One Begins

**ღ** Card Castle **ღ**

Stella inhaled slowly as she stretched out. "Smell that fresh, curse-free air," she breathed. "And look at that beautiful sunrise!" She gestured towards the bright yellow orb rising above the horizon.

"A perfect day for an adventure," said Alistair as he and the others joined Stella on the card castle's croquet field. It was the three Winx, Nex, all the Wonderlandians, Apple, Raven, and Darling. Roxy had returned to Ever After High a few minutes ago in an attempt to explain to Headmaster Grimm about the Jabberwock and Alfea's situation. Based upon the information Maddie had given them from the "narrator", Milton and Faragonda both knew each other. Thus, Roxy thought it would be a good idea to try to get his help, even after the multiple warnings Raven had given her about how much of a stickler Grimm was.

"Alright; so we need to find the vorpal sword. Anyone have any clues where that is?" asked Stella with a yawn.

As everyone seconded their confusion, a voice called out: "Howdy-ho!" Suddenly, an elder lady with a kind face, purplish-grey hair, and a pink shirt dress appeared beside Alistair and Bunny.

"Fairy Godmother!" exclaimed Bloom welcomingly, "everyone, this is Eldora, the Fairy Godmother. Eldora, everyone."

"I thought I detected your energies here," said Eldora as the others echoed their greetings. She took a good look around. "It has been a while since I've been in the world of wonder. You know, its life-sized gardens used to be all the rage when I was young."

"Ooh, have you ever visited the Tiger-Lily Groove yet?" asked Lizzie, "the flowers are _very_ talkative this time of year."

"Fairy Godmother, I'm sure you have a reason for your sudden appearance," spoke up Tecna before Lizzie and the older fairy jumped into a conversation about sightseeing.

"Huh? Oh, yes indeed!" Eldora nodded cheerily. "I couldn't help but overhear about the vorpal sword. If you're looking for its whereabouts, then I believe I can help you."

"You know where it is?" asked Apple hopefully.

"Yes! And no. It goes both ways," explained Eldora, "there's a poem about the Jabberwock and the hero that wielded the vorpal sword to defeat it. According to this poem, the hero removed the sword from the trunk of a Tumtum tree, a tree species only found in Wonderland."

"In that case, couldn't the sword be anywhere?" asked Darling.

"Not exactly. Tumtum trees can only thrive if they're all growing together," explained Lizzie knowingly, "and in that case, they grow in fields. And in just so happens there's only _one_ particular Tumtum field in Wonderland."

"That's perfect! So how do we get there?" asked Bloom anxiously.

"I have no idea," admitted Lizzie.

"No worries. All we need is a map and we'll be set," said Stella, wrapping an arm around Lizzie. "Tecna?"

"Actually, I don't think my phone can help right now," winced Tecna apologetically, "I've been working on it, but I think the Wonderland curse did quite a number on it."

"No worries! I can fix it with my magic," volunteered Raven.

"Um, that might not be such a good idea," piped up Apple quickly, "Raven's magic usually-"

"Go ahead." Tecna held out her phone. Raven wiggled her fingers and a dark ray flowed from her fingertips and into the phone. The phone then sparked on. "Raven, you did it! It's fixed!" exclaimed Tecna. But she spoke a little too soon. The device began to spark continuously until it started to smoke.

"-backfires," finished Apple.

"Uh, sorry about that, Tecna," apologized Raven, "I guess I'm still not that good with my magic."

"It's okay." Tecna smiled. "I should be able to get it working in no time with a little help from my magic."

"I'm afraid we can't wait that long," said Bloom with a concerned frown.

"Don't worry. I have an old friend in a nearby village who just _loves_ maps," assured Eldora, "I'm positive he wouldn't mind lending you one. Now, what was his name again…? It was an Earl something…..Earl Grey? No, that's a tea. Earl Stay? No, that's an inn…"

"This is gonna be a piece of cake," insisted Nex as Fairy Godmother tried to remember the name of her old friend. "We'll be back at Alfea to save the others in no time."

"…Earl Bay? No, that's a body of water. Earl Airways? No, I believe that's an airport…"

"I just the others are fine," said Bloom with concern, "Alfea's protective barrier won't last much longer. Let's just hurry and get this done so we can get back and stop the Trix and the Jabberwock for good."

"Earl Café? No…. Earl Hairspray? That product works nicely in my hair by the way. It gives it that beautiful shine. Now let's see…."

"Miaow, I have a feeling we're gonna be here for a while," meowed Kitty.

"At least until Monday," giggled Maddie, "which I have no problem with. Monday's one of my favorite days of the week. Along with Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday-"

"That's it! Monday! Earl Monday! He owns the Twelfth Day gift shop in the nearby village of Queen's Watch ," explained Eldora.

"Queen's Watch? I've been there before," recalled Kitty, "which means I can jump ahead." She smiled widely and disappeared, her disembodied smile remaining in midair for a few seconds before disappearing as well.

"When you find him, tell him I sent you," directed Eldora, "he should be more than happy to lend a hand."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Stella confidently, "let's go save Alfea!"

But little did they know that their mission wasn't going to be that easy.

* * *

 **ღ** The Village Queen's Watch **ღ**

"Whoa. This place is… _wonderlandiful_ ," enthused Stella as Bloom's magic teleported them outside the gate of Queen's Watch. "But…where's the village?" Beyond the tall gate was a stone staircase traveling up through the forest giant mushrooms and trees. Not one house was in sight.

"The village's further within the forest," explained Alistair as they started up the stairs.

"After we end this whole Trix/Jabberwock thing, we should totally come here during school vacation," went on Stella, "imagine all the fun and adventures we could have."

"I wonder where Kitty is," wondered aloud Bloom, "she should be somewhere around here, right?" She gasped as a tall wall of thorns suddenly grew up from the ground in front of them, blocking their path.

"What is this?" asked Tecna, finally looking up from her phone, which she had been working on.

"You look like newcomers," announced a voice. Everyone looked to the right to see a giant caterpillar perched atop one of the giant mushrooms nearby. "And newcomers always have to pass the _test_."

"Test? What kind?" asked Apple.

"In order to progress down the road, you have to first answer a riddle the caterpillar is about to bestow."

"You guys are Wonderlandian, right? Then the riddle should be easy for you, right?" Bloom looked at the Wonderlandians.

"Cheese and whiskers!" replied Maddie goofily, "bestow on, great caterpillar."

The caterpillar cleared his throat. "A cat and a hare traveled along the road and accidentally came across a great big toad. The cat forgot his crumpets, while the hare forget his trumpet. Or perhaps it's the only way around. The toad in the road simply let out a big croak and joined the two in their search for home. What color is the toad?"

"That's not a riddle," said Tecna blankly.

"And if it is, what kind is that?" Nex snorted and crossed his arms.

"It is indeed a riddle. And you have two minutes to answer." The caterpillar held up three fingers.

"Um…that's three," pointed out Stella slowly.

"The clock is ticking." The caterpillar gestured towards a clock as it materialized into thin air.

"Quick, someone think of something!" exclaimed Briar.

"But it's impossible! He didn't us any clues or hints pertaining to the toad's makeup," pointed out Tecna, "to come up with the logical answer would be… _impossible_!"

"Tecna, you gotta remember: we're in Wonderland. And here, logic doesn't apply," reminded Alistair thoughtfully and patiently.

"You have to think inside, outside, over, and under the box," added Bunny, "and sometimes around it."

"Everyone think," directed Lizzie, "if the cat forgot his crumpets, while the hare forget his trumpet-"

"Then the toad obviously lost his bucket," continued Maddie, "and when a toad loses his bucket-"

"He was most likely off budget!" laughed Bunny with realization, "and that means the toad is obviously red with black spots."

"I don't know how you got that, but we're going with it!" said Bloom, "Mr. Caterpillar, the answer is red with black spots!"

"Correct," nodded the caterpillar, rolling his tongue. "You may pass." The tall wall of thorns shriveled down as he gestured towards it.

"Nice!" exclaimed Stella as they proceeded up the stairs.

"Hopefully, we won't have any more trouble," said Tecna slowly.

"As Kitty said yesterday. Wonderland can be tricky," reminded Bloom, "we should just prepare ourselves just in—WHOA!" Bloom ducked as a giant eagle swooped in, trying to catch one of the heroes with its beak.

"What's going on?" asked Raven alertly as eagle cries resonated overhead.

"He's coming back for round two!" piped up Stella as the eagle circled around a tree and starting coming back towards them.

"And he's not the only one!" added Bloom, pointing up at the sky. Four more massive eagles were circling around overhead. "We have more company."

"They must think we're worms," giggled Maddie, oblivious to the danger. "Really big ones."

"I don't think we should stick around to find out. Let's hurry and get out of here!" Stella grabbed Maddie's arm and began running up the stairs.


	13. The Heirloom in Greyshire

**ღ The Village of Queen's Watch ღ**

"Meow! What's taking them so long?" purred Kitty from the roof of one of the cottages. "They should be here by now." She teleported atop another cottage. "I hope they didn't get lost. With this being Wonderland and all, they could be anywhere!" From her position atop the tiny cottage, she took a good look at the village below. The village was like any other place in Wonderland; massive hedges, mushrooms, and flowers towered over everything, while some houses and businesses were forged into giant trees, while others came in irregular shapes and sizes.

She scanned the village until her eyes landed on a particular building. "Hm," she mused. Using her Cheshire Cat powers, she teleported herself down in front of the building. "Twelfth Day gift shop," she read aloud from the sign hanging above the door. "This must be the place Fairy Godmother was talking about." Deciding not to wait for the others, Kitty proceeded into the shop.

Dozens of tiny bells chimed as she entered the empty gift shop. "Visitors!" shouted one of the bells.

"Are!" added another.

"Here!" yelled a third.

"Um…hello?" called out Kitty as she walked further into the dark shop. "Anyone here?" She stopped to look at a suit of armor resting against the wall. She meowed in distress as a pair of green eyes illuminated under the suit's metal visor. The cat backed away quickly.

"Can I help you, miss?" asked a voice, startling Kitty. She whirled around to see a frog standing behind her.

"Um, are you Earl Monday?" asked Kitty.

"This is my name." The frog appeared behind the counter beside the treasure chests.

"Eldora the Fairy Godmother sent me," explained Kitty quickly, "she said you have a map we could use to find the Tumtum tree field."

"Eldora? Yes, I remember her." The frog nodded. "And I do have a map that could be of assistance. _But_ it happens to be my lost one."

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning you'll have to do something for me if you want it." The corners of the frog's lips tugged into a sly smile.

'There's always a catch, isn't there Kitty?'

Kitty ignored Brooke. "Seriously? We're kinda in a hurry."

"Who's we?"

"Me and my friends. They're supposed to be here, but I have no idea what they're doing. We need that map to find something important. It seriously can't wait!"

The frog bobbed his wet and slimly looking head. "We are in the same predicament," he said, putting his sly smile back on. "See, I too need to find something important. Well, I should say obtain rather than find."

Kitty raised an eyebrow curiously. "What are you talking about?"

Just as she asked this, the giant picture behind Earl Monday shifted to the side, revealing a secret staircase. "Come with me," said the shopkeeper before disappearing up the stairs.

"So it's going to be one of those days," frowned Kitty, walking behind the counter and following the frog up the stairs. "What's with this secret staircase, anyway?" she asked as she ascended the stairs, which lead her into a large, secret room. "What is this place?" she asked, looking around.

The room was almost set up like a museum; different objects were secured behind glass displays, the walls were aligned with paintings, and different crafts hung from the ceiling. "This is my room of treasures," responded Earl Monday, who seemed proud of his collections. "These are all the things I collected over the years."

"So what does this have to do with us?" asked Kitty, inspecting a ring that was enclosed by a glass dome.

"My collection…it is not yet completed," began Earl Monday, growing somewhat bad-tempered. "See, I'm missing-"

"Visitors!" shouted the bell from downstairs, interrupting Earl Monday. The other two bells immediately shouted after it.

"Are!"

"Here!"

"Whew! I think we lost them," breathed Briar's voice from downstairs.

"I am seriously starting to think Wonderland is out to get us," said Stella's sassy voice.

"Guys!" called Kitty down the stairs, "we're up here!"

"So these are your friends?" asked Earl Monday as Stella and Apple appeared upstairs first. "Good; it wouldn't be good for you to take this mission alone."

"Mission?" repeated Stella as the others ascended the stairs behind them. "What mission?"

"Everyone, this is Earl Monday, the one Fairy Godmother told us about," said Kitty, gesturing towards the shopkeeper. "he has a map we can use, but he wants us to do something in return."

"You see, I collect trinkets from my journeys across Wonderland," began Earl Monday, motioning around his museum. "My collection would be complete if it wasn't missing one important item." He walked over to an empty glass display in the back of the room. "The Effigy of the Earls."

"An effigy?" repeated Maddie, looking quite confused. She giggled. "That word sounds funny."

"An effigy is a model or sculpture of another person," explained Tecna.

Earl Monday nodded. "It's a statue of my ancestor, the first Earl Frog. During my journeys in distant Wonderland, I came across its whereabouts. But alas, I could not retrieve the heirloom for my collection."

"And let me guess. You need us to go get this effigy so it'll complete your collection," assumed Stella, putting her hands on her hips. "Sound easy enough."

"You found it before, right? So you know where it is," spoke up Bloom.

Earl Monday nodded. "It's located in the Castle of Greyshire," explained Earl Monday, "the castle is located in Greyshire. It's not far from the Queen of Heart's palace."

"Greyshire," repeated Lizzie thoughtfully, "I think I've heard of that before."

"This should be a piece of cake!" insisted Stella, walking around Earl Monday's room of trinkets. "All we have to do is go to this castle, find the heirloom, and then we're home free!"

"Hold on, Stella." Alistair eyed Earl Monday. "If you know where it is, then why didn't you get it yourself? And if you knew where it was all this time, why have you been waiting? Is there something else you're not telling us?"

Apple nodded. "Yeah, I agree. When you think about it, this all doesn't sound right."

Earl Monday chuckled. "I am an old man. The journey all the way to Greyshire would certainly do a number on my aching back. And the reason I didn't obtain the heirloom at first was because of the curse. Its wild dark magic made everything more topsy-turvey than ever."

Alistair still looked doubtful, but didn't say anything more. "So, what does this heirloom look like?" asked Nex, crossing his arms.

"And which part of the castle is it located in?" added Tecna, "knowing its specific location will make everything much easier when we get there."

Earl Monday smiled at his memories. "The Effigy of Earls is impossible to miss or overlook. It's a small golden statue in the shape of a frog, my ancestor. As for its exact location, I believe it was somewhere in the treasure room, which is a vault located on the top level of the castle."

"A small golden statue in the treasure room on the top floor. Got it." Apple nodded. "Well, I guess we should get going. We don't exactly have time to lose."

Earl Monday nodded. "I wish you good luck." He waited patiently for the young people to leave before chuckling to himself. "You'll need it."

* * *

 **ღ** Ever After High **ღ**

"The Jabberwock? In Magix?" repeated Headmaster Milton Grimm in disbelief, rising from his chair behind his desk which in front of the window that overlooked the Ever After High campus. "Highly impossible. The Jabberwock was imprisoned years ago."

"But you don't understand! It's not imprisoned! It's at Alfea, and a group of witches called the Trix are using it as a weapon," explained Roxy quickly, standing up from her own chair.

The headmaster snorted. "As I said earlier, that is high impossible." He started towards the door and gestured for Roxy and Dexter to follow. "The faculty of Ever After High captured the beast decades ago," explained the headmaster as the three walked down the crowded corridors of the school.

"Well, it must've somehow freed itself," insisted Roxy, catching up to the man. "Or maybe the Trix freed it. I don't even know!"

"Apparently. There's no way these witches you speak of somehow found out where the Jabberwock is imprisoned. The whereabouts of its prison is only known by me and a few others."

"So where was it imprisoned? On the side of a volcano? In some kind of abandoned realm?" questioned Dexter, "or behind magic-proof doors in some kind of castle no one's visited in years?"

"Absolutely not! Those extremes were not necessary." The headmaster stopped in front of a door. It resembled the cover of a book and was labeled: A Children's Treasury of Fairytale Heirlooms. In response to the headmaster's magical presence, the door opened itself.

Roxy and Dexter glanced at each other and followed the headmaster inside. The room was full of different objects like a glass coffin, a high stack of mattresses, crowds, swords, mirrors, and all other kinds of unique items. "Whoa. What is this place?" asked Roxy, taking a good look around the room.

"This is where we keep all the fairytale heirlooms," explained Grimm, "they will remain here until the stories in which they belong are relived."

"I still don't understand. Why are we here if we're discussing the Jabberwock?" asked Dexter, adjusting his glasses.

"Because the Jabberwock itself is imprisoned here."

Roxy and Dexter startled. "Even I know that wasn't such a good idea," said Roxy slowly, "something that dangerous belongs in some kind of cage. Not in a treasury."

The headmaster gestured towards a shelf of glass trinkets behind him. He failed to see that one of them was broken. "This is where we keep all of the important trinkets. And one of them is the Uni Carn, the prison in which the Jabberwock resides in."

"One of them is broken," pointed out Dexter, pointing towards the top shelf.

"What?" Startled, the headmaster turned around sharply on his heels. "No," he breathed in disbelief as his eyes landed on the broken glass. "It can't be."

"That's never a good sign," said Dexter uneasily, watching the headmaster cautiously pick up the glass.

"What's wrong?" asked Roxy. She immediately put two and two together. "That's the Uni Carn, isn't it?" She and Dexter leaned in closer as the headmaster held up his cupped hands. Two halves of a trinket were rested inside them. From the looks of the broken pieces, the glass shards were once a glass unicorn.

The headmaster pressed his lips together. "This indeed confirms it: the Jabberwock has escaped."

* * *

 **ღ** Greyshire **ღ**

"Woohoo!" cheered Briar as the rabbit hole ejected them out onto a dirt path. "It's too bad we don't have a lot of these around Ever After. It totally beats the typical horse carriage."

"So, is this Greyshire?" asked Bloom, looking around the lush, green plain. There was nothing but thick grasses and full, green trees for miles and miles.

"Odd, I thought it would be grey," giggled Maddie goofily.

Alistair walked up to the sign beside the road. "According to this sign, Greyshire Castle is that way." He pointed further down the road.

"Then that's the way we need to go," nodded Bloom, "but I wonder how far the castle is from here. It could take as long as a day or as a short as ten minutes."

"Not when you have wings!" reminded Stella, "we can get there in no time if we transform into our Bloomix forms and use our wings to fly there."

"Yes, but what about the others?" pointed out Tecna as a chipmunk ran across the road, "they don't possess the same abilities as us."

"Don't worry! I've already got a plan for that too!" Stella wiggled fingers and her bright magic sparkles formed bubbles around her flightless friends. "With these, they'll be able to keep up with us in the sky no problem."

"Then let's transform!" said Bloom. The girls leaped into their transformation poses. "Magix Winx!" they all yelled. "Bloomix!"


	14. The Curse

**Author's Note: I'm terrible. I literally haven't updated in a few MONTHS. Well, I'm gonna make up for it. Promise.**

* * *

 **ღ** Greyshire Castle **ღ**

"Well, I'm guessing this is the place," announced Bloom as she slowly approached the entrance of the dark castle. Greyshire Castle was perched atop a cliff that loomed above the rest of the shire. Oddly, dark clouds were spiraling above the dark fortress as if symbolizing a threat inside.

Stella let out a sound of disgust. "This place seriously reminds me of Cloud Tower," she said distastefully as Nex slowly pushed open one of the creaking stone doors. "Let's just hurry and get this over with." With Nex leading the group, everyone slowly walked into the dark castle's entrance hall. They were greeted by a chilling drift and the echoes from the squeaky door.

"Well…this place doesn't look too bad," said Bunny with a nervous laugh, staying close to Alistair as they got a good look around the entrance hall. The place would be completely dark if it wasn't for the little light leaking through the large arch windows.

"What are you doing? Don't close the door!" snapped Stella as Nex proceeded to shut the door behind them. "That's how people end up being trapped in these kinds of places!"

"Wow, Stella. I didn't think you were one to be paranoid," commented Briar as the group followed Bloom down the wide arched corridor, the sounds of their footsteps echoing through the castle.

"I'm not! It's just….the dark gives me bad vibes," explained Stella, "Fairy of the _Shining_ Sun, remember? The dark really doesn't agree with me."

"Now, where did that Earl Monday guy say the vault was?" pondered Bloom as they stopped at an intersection.

"The vault's located on the top floor," recalled Lizzie.

"Great. No telling how many levels this place has," said Stella with a frown, putting her hands on her hips. "Where's an elevator when you need one?"

"There's no need to worry," assured Tecna, tapping on the touch screen of her cellular device. "My phone isn't exactly one hundred-percent fixed, but I think I can still download the floor plan of the castle and find out where the stairs are. It's gonna take a few minutes, though."

" _Or,_ we can just try one of these doors," suggested Darling adventurously, reaching out to grasp the handle of one of the identical doors that aligned the hall. She opened the door to a room of pure darkness. However, a huge pair of green eyes illuminated all the way in the back of the space. "Or maybe not," Darling corrected herself quickly, swiftly closing the door.

Tecna's phone beeped. "According to my phone, there's a staircase at the end of the east corridor," she informed, "it should lead us straight to the top level. Hopefully. Just follow me." Gesturing for the others to follow, Tecna started down the wide marble hall.

"Just watch. We're gonna end up getting lost," assured Stella, frowning deeply.

"Oh, don't worry, Stella! In Wonderland, getting lost is a good thing," giggled Maddie, "for an example, there was this time-"

"Maddie. Now…isn't the time," interrupted Raven.

"Maddie has a point, though. Misdirection here in Wonderland can often lead to discovery," nodded Lizzie in agreement. "And sometimes disaster."

* * *

 **ღ** Cloud Tower **ღ**

"Sisters! It looks like the Winx are up to something again," reported Darcy, scowling at the crystal ball. "How they managed to escape Alfea is beyond me. The shields haven't went down yet."

"WHAT?" Icy brung her fist down on the table, causing it to shake. She peered into the crystal ball to see the Winx and their new allies wandering through some kind of dark fortress she wasn't familiar with.

"Don't worry, sisters. It doesn't matter how they escaped. In fact, this might be a great thing." Stormy smirked naughtily, putting her hands on her hips. "Now, we can have some fun with them."

"I see." The corners of Darcy's mouth tugged into a matching dark smile. "They think they can save their friends just because they managed to get away. They think they're out of our reach."

"But they don't know how wrong they are," cackled Icy, "sisters, together!" The witch sisters took a step back and joined hands, forming a circle around the table. Selina just stood by the exit, pressing the Legendarium against her chest as she observed the Trix with yearning eyes.

"Dark magic convergence!" the trio shouted simultaneously. Their bodies glowed with dark auras, a complex magic circle formed underneath their feet, and a harsh wind began to rage around the room.

"With this spell, we'll curse the Winx," chanted Stormy.

"And kill their hope with our little jinx," continued Darcy.

"The darkness will triumph through our great link," said Icy.

"And with the dark fortress we are hereby synced!" they all shouted. Lightning, icicles, and rays of illusion magic flowed out of their bodies and into the crystal ball.

"Hehe. Now things will get interesting," giggled Stormy as they unlinked their hands, causing the magic circle to disappear and winds die down.

"That was some intense magic," breathed Selina, joining them around the crystal ball. "What kind of spell was that?"

"It was a mixture of every dark enchantment spell we know," responded Stormy arrogantly and boastfully, "now we can control the Winx's environment to the fullest."

"Yeah. That dark castle now belongs to _us_ ," added Darcy, her new evil grin spreading across her face, "which means bad news for our little fairy friends."

* * *

 **ღ** Greyshire Castle **ღ**

"I suddenly got a _very_ bad feeling about this place," announced Raven, stopping dead in her tracks in the middle of the hall. "Like someone's watching us or something. It's creepy." She shuddered.

"Tecna, how much longer? We've been wandering around this place for _hours_ ," whined Stella, crossing her arms and sticking out her bottom lip.

"Uh, it's only been a few _minutes,_ " corrected invisible Kitty from somewhere. Though she wasn't visible, it was obvious she was giving Stella an eye roll.

"I don't understand. My phone…it says the staircase should be right here," frowned Tecna, pointing downward at the marble floor.

"This is _Wonderland_ , Tecna," reminded Lizzie, resting a warm hand on the girl's shoulder. "You cannot locate anything by logical means. You have to think outside the box, remember?"

"Which will be really hard since none of us have a box," spoke up Maddie, tapping her chin in deep thought. "Narrator, do you have any tips or hints for us?"

No comment.

Right as Apple was about to make a suggestion, the whole castle began to shake, causing everyone to stagger backwards or fall. "What's going on?" cried out Apple, grabbing hold of a table.

"Yay! Something exciting!" applauded Maddie madly, bouncing up and down happily. Oddly, she wasn't one bit shaken by the earthquake.

" _Please_ tell me this is normal!" pleaded Stella, holding on to Briar.

"Far from it!" replied Lizzie loudly, "in fact, structures aren't supposed to do this until Dance-a-thon Day!" At the mention of the Wonderlandian holiday, the building stopped shaking. "That's better."

"Wait. Something still isn't right," frowned Bloom, cautiously looking around. "I think we're-" But before she could finish, a black vortex-like portal appeared on the ceiling.

"You mean, LIKE THAT?" squeaked Stella, pointing upward at it.

And right as everyone was about to react, the darkness spread all throughout the hall, trapping our heroes within its thick mass.


	15. Castle of Terror, Part 1

**Whoa. Last time I updated was in August. It's 2017 now. I know I'm 26 days late, but Happy New Year! I'll try to update this story more often—I'd been sorely focusing on finishing another that I ignored this one. I'll update this story more often, I promise. What do you wish to see?**

* * *

 **ღ Greyshire Castleღ**

"Ugh, my head," groaned Darling, slowly lifting herself off the ground. The cold marble floors stung her legs, sending a chill up her spine that made her shiver. The frosty damp air filled her lungs as she looked around. Overhead hung a crystal chandelier that made the ancient stone walls glisten. With its cream couch, gold dreary drapes, old and faded tapestry panels, the room was steeped in luxury, wrapped with gold embossed designs, mixed with shimming fabrics, and regal damasks.

"Tell me about it." Red-armor clad Nex was already on his feet, rubbing his rump with a scowl. "Where are we, anyway?"

"And where is everyone else?" added Darling, standing up. It was just the two of them in the old living room, meaning they'd been separated from the rest of the group. She was about to proceed over to the large stone doors, but some kind of black magic swirled into existence in front of them. It took the form of three holographic figures, all of them girls in flowing robes with their hair tied up.

" _You_ ," hissed Nex, reaching over his shoulder to unsheath his halberd.

"You know them?" asked Darling curiously, taking backwards so she was once again at his side.

"If you're watching this, then the challenge has official began," announced the one with lavender hair in an icy, evil tone.

 **~O~**

"You have until noon to get to the top of the castle," went on the hologram of Icy, "my sisters and I have set up challenges all throughout the fortress to make things interesting."

"Ugh! The _Trix_ ," hissed Bloom, frowning deeply and clenching a fist. She, Raven, and Apple were in the castle's medieval-ish kitchen, where holograms of the Trix were projecting in front of the twin doors leading out of the kitchen.

"Uh, old friends of yours?" assumed Raven, raising an eyebrow.

"Hardly. They've been our evil enemies since day one," informed Bloom, still frowning.

"Well, witches will be witches," pointed out Apple. "But how did they know we were in Wonderland?"

"Get past our challenges and make it to the top _if_ you don't want to face our punishment," continued Stormy with a devilish grin. "Good luck. _If_ you have what it takes to conquer our castle."

 **~O~**

"I demand to know what's going on!" Lizzie stomped her foot angrily after the holographic Trix disappeared. She, Stella, and Briar had been transported into a high, high tower of the castle. "Where the dickens are we?"

"This is the Trix's work." Stella frowned. "They're a group of evil witches who are determined to get rid of us for good. And now that the Wonderland curse has been lifted, their dark powers can penetrate the realm. So we've basically stopped one nutjob only to run into three more. They're _worse_ than Courtly. They're basically using us as pawns for their stupid game. And if we don't get out of here quick, we can all kiss the magic dimension _goodbye_."

Briar, who'd been trying to force the door open the whole time, gritted his teeth with frustration and took a step back. "The door's jammed."

"Please. Step aside. Studies prove that we Wonderlandians have better physical attributes," insisted Lizzie, waving Briar aside as she proceeded to the door with her chin held high confidently. She grabbed the brass handle and gave it a yank. However, the door didn't even budge. "What?" Lizzie furrowed her brows. She yanked again. Nothing. " _I command this door to open!_ " she shrieked madly, pounding on it with two fists. "I am your _princess!_ "

"Lizzie! Liz. Calm down, girl." Stella grabbed the princess's shoulders and steered her away from the door. "I got this." She zapped the door with a bolt of yellow magic and levitated it out of its frame. "See? Piece of cake."

Behind the door had been a spiraling staircase, leading deep into the dark tower below. "Uh, it looks kinda dark…" trailed off Briar, "oh, yeah. _And dangerous_."

"Don't worry. Fairy of the sun and moon, remember? I can erase the dark no problem." Stella started down the stairs first, glowing a beautiful white that vanquished the dark. "See? No sweat."

Briar and Lizzie exchanged glances of uncertainty before proceeding after Stella.

 **~O~**

Darling approached the suit of armor that stood beside the fireplace. She drew the sword at its side, holding it high. "We'll force our way through," she said simply, removing the suit's side sheath and putting it on. "You have your halberd, I have this sword. We don't have much time, do we have no choice but to storm the castle."

"Fine by me." Nex grinned, reaching over his shoulder to draw his halberd.

Not long after, the two were running down the corridor, calling for their friends. Eventually, they made a turn that took them into a wide hallway, aligned with identical decorative suits of armor. Nex kept running, but Darling froze.

"Wait! Something isn't right!" she hissed, looking around suspiciously. And just as she spoke, an eerie dark magic drifted into the corridor, snaking everywhere. "Whoa!" Darling threw herself onto the floor as dark essence whirled by her. She kept her eyes on it, watching as it disappeared into one of the suits of armor. Almost immediately, the suit started to rattle and move.

"Uh, Darling?"

Nex backed up as the rest of the suits came to life, all of them stepping out of their stiff position against the wall and turning to face the pair. Darling and Nex backed into each other, their backs bumping.

"A curse," growled Darling as all of the armor threw their swords, forming a circle around the heroes. "They're coming alive!"

"Stand back—things are about to get windy," warned Nex, holding up in halberd. He started to whirl it above his head, creating a whirlwind around them. The growing winds pushed back the armor, and Darling took this as an opportunity to slash at one. She put a deep scratch straight across its breast plating, and then kicked it down to the floor.

And that was when the battle began.

 **~O~**

Darling's and the armor's swords clanged as they traded blows, neither of them losing their posture. Over her shoulder, Darling heard Nex holding his own, but she didn't dare look around and give her opponent an opening. A swordsman never let his guard down no matter what. No exception.

Darling gritted her teeth as the enchanted armor started to back her down the corridor. She was tiring. Using up her strength. She wasn't like her opponent, who was nothing more than a hexed tool. It didn't have a heart, and didn't even have a body underneath its shiny plating. It didn't share the same humanly weaknesses as Darling. It couldn't tire out, it couldn't run out of breath, it couldn't even flinch. All it could do was fight, and wouldn't stop until its adversary was defeated.

Behind her, Darling could hear the clanging of heavy footsteps approaching. Dang it! More were coming behind her! "Nex!" shouted Darling, whipping her sword back and forth to knock away each of the enchanted armor's attacks.

"Yeah?" Nex's voice was quick, distant, sharp, and winded. Darling could hear his halberd clashing with his opponent's sword.

"How many?"

Nex didn't answer and Darling heard the unmistakable, violent sound of a sword slicing the air and then Nex's pained scream echoed all around. A thump then followed, most likely Nex falling to the ground.

Oh no! Nex was hit! Darling's head was spinning like crazy. Thinking fast, Darling dove under her enemy's sword just as it was swinging it, sliding across the marble floor on her knees and hopping back onto her feet a few several yards away. She whirled around, to see new hexed suits of armor joining the one she'd been battling.

She didn't see Nex. Where was Nex? Instead of facing her regrouping foes, Darling turned her back to them and ran. Her heavy breaths matching her hurried footsteps, the princess sprinted down the hall, shouting Nex's name. She didn't hear any footsteps over her own, meaning her competitors weren't following her. Ugh, what did that mean? Were they taking another route so they could corner her? Were they—

Darling screamed as the wall to her left suddenly exploded, the impact throwing her hard onto the right. "AHHH!" yelped Darling, letting go of her sword as she sailed across the corridor. She back-first into one of the paintings on the wall, and it fell atop her as she dropped into a heap on the floor.

Darling muttered, lifting her face up from the floor. She looked up to see a giant hole in the stone wall that had exploded. A shadowy, faceless, eerie figure was floating right outside of it, its hands cackling with dark lightning.

Swearing, Darling struggled to wiggle out from underneath the painting. Just as she managed to flip the heavy decorative off her, a black lightning bolt flashed before her eyes and Darling let out a scream as its dark energy coursed through her body. Due to the electricity, she could feel her whole body spasming violently.

Once the electrocution stopped, Darling felt her body go limp. She couldn't move and everything inside her was on fire. If she was hit again, she'd _fry._

The shadowy being levitated into the room, lightly landing on the floor. A dark, evil laugh echoed out of it, and it stated to morph into something else. Darling watched hopelessly as it transformed into one of the Trix, the one with lightning bands and storm-cloud hair.

"I am Stormy, the most powerful witch of storms," she said proudly and arrogantly, walking up to faint Darling.

"Stay back," warned Darling, her eyes darting around in search of her sword. Her gaze locked on her fallen weapon, which was all the way beside the hole. If only she could reach it…

"The Winx will regret pulling amateurs into our rivalry." Stormy started to generate purple lightning, her bolts slowly spiraling and cackling around her like whips. Due to all the static electricity, Darling could feel her hair standing up. "I'll zap you into the next world," smirked Stormy, "Amethyst Lightning Lasso!"

Darling's eyes bulged as Stormy's lighting sailed toward her in bursts of shades of purple. This was it. She couldn't move, she'd have to take this. Just as the electricity was about to penetrate Darling, a gust of strong wind blew it off course.

Darling's and Stormy's heads snapped in the same direction to see Nex standing a few yards away, breathing heavily as he held up his Halberd of the Wind. The chest plate of his Paladin armor had been cut in several areas, and his face was bruised.

"Nex!" exclaimed Darling. She tried to get up again, but her body still refused to move.

"Don't get your hopes up too high, girly. He's no match for me," insisted Stormy, turning to face Nex. "I'll end him and then you." She started to generate more lighting in her palms.

"Nex, run!" snapped Darling.

However, Nex raised his halberd above his head, spinning it rapidly. As he whirled his halberd faster and faster, a strong current of wind began to spiral around him and the blue weapon on his weapon glowed bluer and bluer as the winds picked up. He was charging up for an attack! Stormy must've figured this too, because she narrowed her eyes and shot her lighting throw her fingertips toward him.

"Nex!" yelled Darling.

Before the lightning could reach him, Nex swung his halberd downward toward the floor, and his blue blade released a long, curved beam of energy and a blast of wind that sailed toward Stormy, slicing through her electricity. Stormy tried to conjure a shield, but was too slow. The magic from Nex's halberd bashed into her, the impact sending her flying, her cry of "NOOO!" reverberating down the hall.

"Darling? You alright?" Nex was at Darling's side in seconds.

"Yeah. But I can't move. What about you? What happened?" Nex waved away her concern. He bent down and slowly helped her up to her feet. "Thanks, but I don't need help," insisted Darling stubbornly, resisting Nex's support. She wasn't a damsel. She didn't need rescuing, especially from a guy. But as soon as she let go of him, she lost balance immediately. Darling growled.

"We gotta move. She'll be back soon." Nex bent down and hoisted Darling onto his back. "We have to find the others."

Darling swallowed her pride. Though she seriously disliked the idea of being treated like a helpless damsel, she knew saving her friends was more important.

 **~O~**

"Okay, so where are we now?" asked Briar. "Left or right?"

She, Lizzie, and Stella had fully descended the stairs, which had led them into some kind of two-way tunnel. The air was stale and cold, and their every word echoed off the walls.

"Left," said Stella at the same time Lizzie said, "Right!" They looked at each other. "Rock-paper-scissors?" suggested Stella. After Stella won with rock, the girls wandered down the passageway leading to the left.

"In Wonderland, scissors can cut straight through rock," Lizzie was muttering her breath, haughtily folding her arms across her chest.

"The vault is all the way at the top of the castle, so, all we have to do is find out where we are and—" A faint roar echoed out of the darkness behind them, interrupting Stella. "What was that?" she said, jittery.

"Ugh, let's go a little faster," suggested Briar. Remaining quiet, the girls began to mega-pace further down the stone tunnel. A snarl sounded around them, only encouraging them to speed up. Eventually, the tunnel took them into a wide antechamber. The ceilings were made of glass and two staircases set against the wall, leading up to a second-story landing.

"Yes! I told you left was the right way," said Stella, high-fiving her new friends. "Now all we gotta do is keep—"

A demonic screech sounded all around them, causing all of them to yelp. And just then, a sphere of dark matter materialized in the center of the room in midair. The girls watched in horror as it grew bigger, taller, and wider. Eight long arms squeezed out of it, and a face of shark-teeth and dark eyes appeared within the head.

"Stella?!" squeaked Briar, stepping back as the thing grew huge, its head stopping a few feet from the ceiling. It was a giant, shadow-like octopus, and it looked bloodthirsty. It let out a final roar before setting its sights on the girls.

"This is one of the Trix's hexes again!" Stella gritted her teeth. "Stand back, girls. I'll deal with this." She held up a hand. "Magic Stella, _Bloomix_!" With a flash of light, the girl was in her beautiful, winged warrior-fairy form.

She flitted up into the air. "Behold!" she declared, "I, Fairy of the Shining Sun has arrived! Prepare to be—YIKES!" The demon breathed dark matter at Stella, who dodged it. " _Rude_!" she frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "Here I was introducing myself and you totally tried to kill me! Looks like I'll have to punish you." She held up an arm, pointing a finger up at the ceiling. "Blazing," she chanted, "Wave…" Thin lines of light magic conjured around her, all of them starting to join together as a single force. "She pointed that finger at the octopus and her magic rushed at it like a tidal wave.

The octopus hissed, countering spell with its dark-magic breath. It swung a leg at Stella, pushing her into a wall.

"Stella!" screamed Briar, running across the marble floor toward the fairy.

"Briar, no!" shouted Lizzie.

The octopus eyed Briar and swept an arm over to her, snatching up right off the ground. "AHHH!" screamed Briar as the creature lifted her high above the ground upside down.

Stella peeled herself off the wall. "Briar! Hold on!" She rose back into the air.

"Shining Mirror of Solaria!" She held up a hand and a yellow-framed mirror conjured in midair. The blond grabbed it, spinning the mirror in her hand. Flying into the air, the blond pointed the mirror at the beast so it'd appear in the reflective glass. "Sirius Supernova!" she shouted and a huge ray of yellow and pink energy blasted out of the glass, sailing at the beast.

The spell crashed into one of the octopus's many arms, marking it with a huge black burn. The demon let out an ear-shattering wail, dropping Briar. "WOOHOO!" cheered the girl as she plummeted down toward the stone floor.

"Moon's Embrace!" Stella managed to hit Briar with a spell, creating a golden transparent bubble around her. The bubble gently floated down, popping once it landed on the ground.

"That was awesome!" Briar clapped her hands, "let's do it again!" Lizzie gave Briar a sideway glance like she was crazy.

The octopus shadow demon gave a terrifying screen, spreading out its black arms in all direction. Lizzie and Briar yelped, dropping onto the floor to avoid its tentacles.

"Sunlight's Shocking Kiss!" Stella held out a hand and pure light radiated within her hand, which then morphed into a big solid golden heart. As it grew larger, the blond held both hands above her head and the heart started to spin right above her palms, multiplying into many hearts that spiraled in ray of white light around her. She held both hands apart, sending her hearts and rays straight at the octopus.

The dozens of hearts and rays all targeted different parts of the demon, detonating the second it made contact with its skin. The shadowy being roared and started frantically whipping three of its arms at Stella in an attempt to swat her away.

"Whoa!" Her wings flapping madly, Stella steered left, right, up, and down as she avoided the tentacles.

Down below, Lizzie and Briar were watching from behind a column, which didn't really serve as protection since it was only concealing half of their bodies. "Whoa! I can't even see what's happening!" exclaimed Briar. The octopus's tentacles were moving so fast, they looked like nothing more than blurs. Its arms were slashing this way and that, whipping the walls and ceilings. Rumble was flying everywhere, and the impact of its blows shook the corridor.

A huge chunk of the wall suddenly fell from the wall, descending straight down to crush Lizzie and Briar.


End file.
